Strange Triangles
by Neostar1
Summary: Logan didn't think it was much of a big deal when he took a liking to a woman named Shaina. But when Shaina is found to be a mutant and comes to the Xavier institute, things get ugly. Who is Shaina exactly, and why does she irk Rouge so much?
1. The New Girl

Notes:

I don't own X-Men: Evolution.  Marvel Entertainment and some other people do.

Shaina (pronounced SHAY-nuh) AKA "Splinter" is my character, so don't steal her.

Keri AKA "Dark Elf", however, is not mine.  She belongs to my little Sister, and a big thanks to her for letting me use it and helping to keep her in character.

++++++++

Strange Triangles 

Chapter One:

The New Girl

_December 24_

It was Christmas Eve.  But who cares?

All Logan cared about was finishing his game of pool before he got kicked out the bar.

As he took his next shot, he thought about all of the other mutants living at the institute.  Most of them had gone home for the Holidays, except for Cyclops, Rogue, Beast, and Professor X himself.  Though to his knowledge, Professor and Beast were the only ones actually at the mansion.

Had he really been paying attention, he would've probably sunk his shot.  But he wasn't, so he missed the ball entirely.  As he cursed under his breath, he heard giggling behind him.

He turned around, and came face-to-face with a woman his age (How old he _looked_, that is; she looked like she was in her late 20's).  She had reddish-brown hair and dark blue eyes with a hint of purple in them.  She was wearing tight jeans, Black boots, a blue sweater, and a brown coat.  All and all, she had a pretty face and a nice figure.

Logan, however, was unimpressed.  "What're you laughing at?"  He snapped.

She smiled, and looked at the ceiling.  "Nothing…"  She answered innocently.

He turned back to his pool game, and quickly looked around the bar.  He thought that he was the only one in there, but apparently, she had slipped in, undetected.

Logan rolled his eyes, and got back to his game.  He couldn't make it in one shot, but maybe in two…  He got poised and aimed.

"You're doing it wrong," A female voice said behind him.

Logan turned around and glared at the woman behind him.  "What are you talking about?"

She sighed, got up, and grabbed a stick.  "If you'd aim from _here…" She walked over about three steps, "…you could make it in one shot."_

Logan narrowed his eyes.  "I didn't ask for your advice."

She looked up at him, "Well, technically no, but when I said, 'You're doing it wrong,' you answered, 'What are you talking about?'; therefore implying that you wanted to know what I meant.  So, yes, actually, you did ask for my advice."

Logan blinked at her.  The funny thing was that he actually understood her.  Since he couldn't think of a better retort, he simply said, "Whatever."

The woman ignored him, and instead looked at the pool table.  "Yes…I believe…I could win in one shot…"

Logan looked at the table.  "No…I don't believe….You could win in one shot," He said, mocking her.

She rolled her eyes.  "Actually, I think I could."

"Actually, I think you couldn't."

"Quit it.  But hey, I'll just leave you to your game."  She walked away, her hips swinging slightly.

Logan looked at her, at the table, at her again, and then said, "Do you really think you could make it?"

She turned to him, grinning.  "Yea, I think I could,"

He handed her a stick.  "Sink it, and I'll buy you a drink."

She shook head slightly, still grinning.  She took the stick, and took her position at the end of the table.  "Here we go!"  She hit the ball, and it ricocheted perfectly against the sides of the table, hitting every ball it needed to.  She had won by the time it stopped.

She looked up at him tucked some of her hair behind her ear.  "Well, whaddya know?"

Logan was shocked.  "How did you do that?"  He demanded.

She shrugged.  "It's all in the wrist.  Now, about that drink…"

He sighed.  "Yea…I suppose you're going to hold me to that, huh?"

The woman nodded.  "Oh yea."

The two walked over to the bar, and sat down.  Logan couldn't help but wonder how she could sit in such tight jeans.

She looked around, and saw that the bartender was no where in sight.  So, she banged her hand on counter yelled, "YO!  CAN WE GET SOME SERVICE OVER HERE?!"

When this failed to produce so much as a curse, Logan hopped over the counter and pressed his ear to the nearest door he could find.  After listening for about five seconds, he held his head back up.  "Don't count on seein' him for the rest of the evening.  He sounds pretty busy…"

The woman slapped her forehead.  "Of course!  That's who that blonde was!"

Logan rolled his eyes, and checked underneath the counter.  "Well, there is some stuff down here…I suppose we could just leave the tab…"

She nodded.  "Right…Uh, just get me a beer…"

Logan looked under, and pulled out one for her, and another one for himself.  Then, he climbed over the counter again, and handed her drink.

She took a swig.  "Ah!  That's good!" She sighed.

Logan didn't say anything.

There was a silence, and then she spoke.  "So, what's your name?"

"What's yours?"  He countered.

"I asked you first!"  She insisted.

"You tell me first, or you'll never know," Logan said calmly.

She rolled her eyes.  "Riiiiight….I'm Shaina.  Shaina Hope."

"Logan," Logan replied.

Shaina made a face.  "Ya got a last name, too?"

"No.  I don't," He answered gruffly.

"Right!  OK!"  Shaina groaned, rolling her eyes.  "Next question: You come here often, or just on Christmas Eve?"

"Both."

"Don't you have a family to be with?"

"No.  Don't _you_?"

She smiled.  "Nah."

Logan looked at her.  "Why am I talking casually to a complete stranger?"

Shaina stuck her tongue out.  "Hey, I'm not so strange!"

"_I think you are."_

"Yea, well you're pretty strange, too!"  She retorted.  "What kind of a name is 'Logan', anyway?!"

"What kind of a name is 'Shaina'?"

"It's Irish!…Well, I think it is!"

"Sure, sure…And Logan…well, it's _my _kind of name."

"Riiiiight …"

"You already said that."

"Did I now?"  She asked, not sounding as if she cared.  "Do you have the time?"

He looked at his watch.  "11:28."

"Aye!  I gotta get home!"  Shaina cried.  As casual as you please, she hopped off her stool, and made her way to the door.  However, she stopped when she reached it.  "Hey, Logan.  Unless you've already got plans, ya wanna meet here tomorrow night and play pool…say…8:00?  I could use another free drink."

Logan shrugged.  "Sure.  Why not?  8:00's fine."

Shaina nodded.  "Right.  See ya then!"  She departed.

Logan looked down at his half-full bottle of beer in front of him.  "What a weird girl!"  He thought out loud.  He paused, and thought for a minute.  "On the other hand…I found her…_interesting…And when did I start wearin' a watch?"_


	2. Holiday Cookies and Snow

Chapter Two:

Holiday Cookies and Snow

_December 25_

Logan woke up the next morning with his face buried in his pillow, suffocating him.  He made a noise that resembled, "SNERF!", and jerked his head upward.  He looked around, and it slowly registered that he was in his room at the mansion.

He sat up, and brushed some of his hair away from his face.  According to the clock on his bedside table, it was 11:03 A.M.

"So…what to do today?"  He thought out loud.  It was Christmas Day, so almost every store in the city would be closed, or completely looted…as if he had anyone to shop for.  But almost everyone would be drowning everyone else in love and "tidings of joy", which made him want to puke.  He could probably stay at the mansion, train in the danger room, and if all else fails, ride off on his motorcycle to some random place.  Oh, and he was meeting Shaina that night.

Shaina.

As he dressed, he remembered the strange woman he had met up with the night before.  Her auburn hair, and purpleish-blue eyes.  And she had a knack for pool.  Maybe they could play best two out of three…

Never mind that.  For now, he just wanted to get some food.  At his usual pace, he made it down the stairs and towards the kitchen.  On his way, he met up with Professor X.

"Ah, good morning and merry Christmas, Logan,"  The Professor said casually.  "How was your night at the bar?  The same one you went to last year, I believe."

Logan made a face slightly.  "You readin' my mind again, Charles?"

The Professor smiled.  "Only a little bit," He admitted.

"Riiiiight …"  Logan said, and he immediately realized he was quoting Shaina.  With that thought in mind, he said, "See ya," before the Professor could read his mind and think he had really gone to the bar to go on a date or something equally stupid.

He arrived and found the kitchen, and wondered if there were any holiday cookies left.  Jean always made those before she left for Christmas, and they were very good.  He checked the cookie jar, and saw seven large cookies.  He looked around the kitchen, and found it empty…the perfect setting for…The perfect crime!  Quickly, he reached in and pulled out four cookies: A reindeer, a Menorah with four candles (the others were probably crumpled at the bottom of the jar), a fat Santa Clause, and a Snowflake.

He reached in to the cupboard, and pulled out a plate.  Then, he sat down at the table, and decided that the Snowflake would be the first to the jaws of doom.  Just as he sank his teeth in to the sweet exterior, Rogue walked in to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.  She looked around, and blushed slightly when she saw Logan sitting there, probably due to the fact that she was still in her pajamas.

"Uh…Hai, Logan.  And merry Christmas."  She said, with her Southern accent.

"Hey, Kid,"  He answered, focusing on his cookies.  He wanted her to know that he wasn't staring at her.  He was no pervert.

This gesture seemed to comfort Rogue a bit, as she walked over to the cookie jar and pulled out the three remaining cookies: A snowman, a star, and another Santa Clause.  She pulled out a plate and sat down at the table across from him.

Logan couldn't help but say, "You really shouldn't eat cookies for breakfast."

Rogue looked at him.  "_You_ are."

Logan looked down at his plate of cookies.  "Touché," He said calmly.

She laughed a little bit.

"What, is Little-Miss-Dark-and-Sullen laughin'?"

"And what if Ah am?"  She retaliated.

Logan smirked.  "It's just that I didn't realize that vampires were allowed to laugh."

"Ya think ah'm a vampire?"

"You never said you weren't.  You sure act like it.  And I've seen I've seen you read that Dracula book."  It was then that Logan realized that he had finished his snowflake.  Without thinking much about it, he bit in to the reindeer.

"Ya just bit off that poor animal's head,"  Rogue said flatly.

Logan looked down his cookie, and saw indeed that he had bitten the reindeer's head off.  "So I did…"

Rogue smiled weakly, and said, "Well, what'd ya do last night?"

"Depends.  What've ya heard?"  Logan joked.

"Nothin'.  That's why ah asked."

"Went to a bar.  Met some weird girl with purplish-blue eyes.  Had some more drinks.  Rode around for a while.  Then came home."

Rouge's smile faded slightly, though Logan wasn't quite sure why.

"And you?"  He asked.

"Me?  Nuthin' much.  Ah just stayed at the mansion, then went and played video games at the arcade for a while."

"Any games that involved vampires?"

"Wah are you so stuck ahn vampires?"  Rogue asked.

"'Cause I think you're one."

"Ah think our conversation just went in a circle."

Logan was abut to say, "I get that feeling a lot," but at that moment, Beast came in to the kitchen.

"Hai, Mr. McKoy.  Merry Christmas,"  Rogue greeted him.

Beast turned to her.  "Yes, merry Christmas to you too. But Rogue, I suggest you go get dressed.  It's rather cold."

Blushing, Rogue stood up and ran to her room.

Logan watched her go, and then sighed.  "Ya really shouldn't tease her like that, Hank."

"My, is the Wolverine caring for someone besides himself?"  Beast teased.

"And so what if I am?"  Logan replied.  But he couldn't help but think about what he said.  He and Rogue had gotten pretty close over the past year.  It seemed like the obvious thing to do, after all, their personalities were rather similar, and they could relate to each other.  That time her power was freaking out, and everyone she had ever absorbed was trying to take over, he had helped her, and then stayed by her bedside.  When he was talking to her, and she had held his hand and smiled with tears in her eyes, it was kind of like a wake-up call to the both of them: If they weren't going to get close to anyone else, they could at least have each other.  Now, less than a year later, they could sit down and have a conversation, as if they were friends.

Maybe that's what they were.  Friends.

***

That evening, he rode off to the bar, and sure enough, Shaina was waiting there, ready to play pool.  "Howdy, Logan!" She greeted him.

"Hi, Shaina," He answered, looking her over.  Green sweater, dark red skirt, black leggings, and red jacket.

"Well, let's play!  And are we going to observe the 'loser buys the winner a drink' rule?"

"Yea," Logan said, picking up his stick.

The bartender is sworn to secrecy.  Professor X is sworn to secrecy.  Ask Logan, and he will growl and leave the room.

I, however, am not.  And in this story entitled Strange Triangles, I strive to give you the untainted truth.  So I must give it, despite the fact that it may come as a shock to many readers:

Logan got his butt kicked.

I'm sorry, but I report only the facts.  He got his butt kicked, and that's all there is to it.

And Shaina wasn't about to let it go unnoticed.  "Wow, Logan, you suck!"

Logan glared at her.  "You didn't…have to say it so loudly…"

"Why?  We're the only ones in here, except for him!"  She pointed over to the bar, where the bartender was laughing hysterically.

"Shaddup!" Logan yelled.

Shaina poked him with her stick.  "Hey, you owe me a drink!"

"Yea.  You're right," Logan said grudgingly.  The two made their way to the bar, and sat down.

"Whaddya want?" The bartender asked, shaking his head and chuckling.

Logan wanted to slam him in to the wall, preferably with his claws extended.

Shaina grinned.  "I'll just get a beer!"

The bartender got Shaina her drink, and turned to Logan.  "And you?"

"Nothing."

"That'll be $4.00"

"For nothing?"

"For her beer, genius!"

"Oh.  Yea…"  Logan muttered, handing him the money.

Shaina giggled.  "Yea, genius!"

"Shut up, Shaina."

"_You shut up."_

"I haven't said anything!"

"Ya're now!"

"What kind of a word is 'ya're'?  Are you a pirate?  I mean, I know an possible vampire, but not a pirate."

"So, now it's my _grammar that's bothering you?"_

The bartender looked at them, shook his head, smiled and said, "Young couples…"

Then, he left and went to the back room, leaving Shaina and Logan alone.

Shaina blinked.  "Couple?  Did he think you were my boyfriend?  Weird!"

Logan didn't say anything.

***

_December 31_

"Everyone, get in here!"  Scott yelled.  "It's almost time!"

Everyone quickly hurried in to the living room, where TV was turned on to the New Year Count Down.

Rogue yawned, and sat down next to Logan.  "So, tha new year is finahlly here."

"Yea…great," Logan answered sarcastically.

"What's with you?  Doncha like New Year's?"

"Why are we celebratin'?  We're just starting the calendar over.  It's not like something's actually happenin'."

"Well, ah'm gettin' to drink Champaign, and it's snowin'.  That's actually happenin'."

Logan looked at her.  "You know what I mean."

"Yea, I guess ah do.  But think about how mahny things can happen on a year.  Ah mean, Kurt an' Kitty started datin', Scott started college, he an' Jean started datin', and you and ah got really close!"

Logan blinked his eyes.  "Why are you only mentionin' relationships?"

Rogue sighed and shrugged.  "'Cause if ah didn't, then the year really was as borin' as you made it out to be."

"So, in other words, I'm right, right?"

"Yea, ah guess you are,"

"Here it comes!"  Beast yelled.

All of them stood up and counted down with the TV, which showed Time's Square in New York City.

"5…4…3…2…1!"

_January 1_

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"  The group choruses, and drank their Champaign.  Logan couldn't help but smirk when he saw Rogue chug hers, and then make a face and squint her eyes, as if she was going to throw up.

He found it so amusing, that a few minutes later, when the group had disassembled, he walked up to her and said, "I trust that we'll never have to worry about you sneakin' any alcohol at parties."

Rogue glared at him.  "Shaddup, Logan."

Logan immediately thought of Shaina, who had said the same thing to him less than a week earlier.  He had been going to the bar to play pool with her every night, and so far, he had only one won once (though he suspected that she had let him win).

"Logan?"  Rogue's voice snapped him back to Reality.

"Huh?"  He replied.

"Look at the snow!"  She commanded.  "Idn't beautiful?"

And so he did.  Although he didn't want to admit it, it _was beautiful.  There was at least a foot of snow on the ground, and more flakes were gently falling._

"Yea…It's nice…"

"It doesn't snow much down south…if we were lucky enough to even get it, then it was usually only a couple of inches…it was a big change for me."

"Uh-huh…"  There was something mesmerizing about the snow…  "You wanna go outside?"  He asked suddenly.

She looked at him.  "Huh?"

"I said, you wanna go outside?"  He repeated.

Rogue smiled.  "Sure.  Wah not?"

So they did.

The snow was even more mesmerizing when they were outside.  It was extremely dark outside, and it was freezing…but the snow!  The tiny, white flakes drifting down from the sky…There were hundreds of flakes…thousands…millions…and as Logan realized as he caught a few in his gloved hand, they were the kind where each flake had its own shape and pattern.  Tiny, ice doilies…

Rogue seemed to be equally hypnotized, as she just stood there, and let the snow fall on her face…She shut her eyes and tilted her head upward.

She looked so calm and peaceful…As if she could stand there for hours…so Logan did the only thing he thought he could do: he threw a snowball at her.

The spell was broken.  As soon as the snowball collided with the side of her face, she let out a little shriek, and turned towards him.  "Yer dead meat, Logan!"  She hissed.  She dropped down on her knees and quickly rolled up a snowball.

Logan turned around and ran, fighting through the snow on the ground.  Just a second later, he felt the snowball rush past his head.  He turned around.  "Hah!  Ya missed—"

_WHAP!  _A snowball slammed directly in to his face.  As he wiped snow of his face, he saw Rogue grinning.  "Ah had two.  Ah only threw the first one so ye'd turn around."

Logan inhaled slowly, narrowed his eyes, got down, and rolled up a snowball the size of a softball.  "I'm gonna get you, girlie!"  He growled.

"Yer gonna have to catch me, first!"  She answered, and then ran off.

And so began their snowball fight.  It was more like tag, because usually, one person would throw a snowball at the other, and then run until they got hit, and then the person who got hit would try to hit the other, and then run, and so on and so fourth.

After a little bit, it finally occurred to him that they must look like total morons.  I mean, they were running around outside at about 12:15 AM, chucking snowballs at each other and occasionally yelling.

Finally, when they reached the point when their throats were burning from the cold air, they stopped and rested.

"It stopped snowin'." Rogue pointed out.

"Yea…" Logan replied, looking up at the sky.  "I guess it is."

"Logan?"  Rogue asked suddenly.

"Hmmm?"  He turned to her.

Rogue was looking down at the snow, but Logan could see that her smile had faded, and she had that look that you get when you know you have to say something, but you're too nervous and embarrassed to.  "Ah…"

"Kid?  You OK?"  He walked toward her.

She looked a bit sad, but didn't say anything.

Gently, he put one of his hands on her shoulder, and the other under her chin.  He turned her head upward so they were looking in to each other's eyes.  "Rogue?  You alright?"

She laughed nervously.  "Oh, I'm fine.  I'm just…cold, that's all!"  She broke away from him.  She looked up at the sky, and her expression lightened.  "Oh!  A shootin' star!  Didja see it?"

Logan looked up, and he just barely managed to see the white streak race across they sky.

"Ah heard kids at school talkin'…and they said that if ya make a wish on a shootin' star on in the wee hours of New Year's Day, then it'll come true!"

"What's with wishin' on shootin' stars?"  Logan asked.  But Rogue was too busy wishing.

She was whispering, so he couldn't make out her wish exactly, but it had to do with getting courage and a crush.  And he thought he heard his name.  But it was probably just his imagination.


	3. More Mutants

Chapter Three:

More Mutants

__

January 3

It was January 3. The day when all of the students who had left for the Holidays came back to the institute.

The living room of the mansion, which had been almost completely empty over the holidays, was now full of students, chattering and greeting each other happily.

Logan was sitting on the couch, waiting. He knew she was coming, and part of him had missed her, but part of him couldn't wait until summer, in which he would be rid of her again.

Rogue strolled up to him and grinned. "Waitin' for Keri?"

Logan sighed. "I suppose."

Out of nowhere, a small blur did a cartwheel, a round-off, a back hand spring and an arial backflip, and landed in Logan's lap. "Hi, Logan!" Said a young girl of eight-years-old with orange hair and green eyes.

Logan exhaled. "Hello, Keri."

I shall break away from this story for moment to give you some background information on Keri:

Keri Smith (no relation to Tabitha) was an eight-year-old girl who went by the code name "Dark Elf". Although she had lived in Germany from the ages of five to seven and spoke fluent German, she did not have an accent. How she came to live in the institute is a long story, but I can tell you here that her Mother was a personal friend of Charles Xavier, and her "Interview" involved a pad of sticky notes with dogs printed on them, a caffeine-rush, the playful misuse of her two mutant powers of turning invisible and going through walls, and biting Logan on the arm. She and Logan had been together since. Professor X's plan there was probably that Keri might be able to pull Logan out of his shell, and that Logan was the only one in the institute that could keep up with her.

He was probably right, as Keri proved to be quite a handful with her hyper-activity, love of gymnastics, her Teddy bear (or hitting people and things with it), and her habit of making snappy, wheels-off comments and quotes. Her hobbies included the above stated, wall-phasing fun with Kitty (who was her good friend, although she was quite close to Logan), hiding in laundry baskets/cupboards and jumping out people, and jumping off the side of the stairs or balconies and yelling, "CATCH ME WITH YOUR BRAIN, JEAN!"

But you will get better aquatinted with Keri if you see her action, and so we will get along with our story.

Keri looked up at him. "So, didja miss me?"

"Somewhat," Logan answered.

Keri grinned. "Awe, I missed you bunches, too!" She turned to Rogue, and her expression dulled slightly. "Hello, Rogue." 

Rogue looked down at her. "Hello, Runt." As you can guess, "Runt" was Rogue's special nickname for Keri.

Kurt walked over to them. "And so it begins, ladies and gentlemen," He said, imitating a boxing referee, "Our main attraction! In zis corner, ze defending champion, with ze ability to steal ze powars of others, Rogue! And, in ze other corner, ze challenger, with ze powers to go through walls, and to camouflage herself, Keri Smith! Some say it is ze fight of ze century! Others say, it is just the stat of a new semester!"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Great. Between the runt and mah so-called little brother, ah don't know how I'll survive without losin' mah mind."

Keri ignored Rogue's comment, and asked Kurt, "Is Kitty here yet?"

Kurt shook his head. "Sorry, no. I zink she's coming later today."

Keri sighed, and looked down at the ground. "Oh, now I'm sad." Abruptly, she snapped her head back up. "OK, I'm fine now."

"Hey, how do you zink I feel? I'm her boyfriend!" Kurt said indignantly.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Well, you're gonna be pretty sad come summer." He turned to Keri. "And would you mind gettin' outta my lap, Imp?" "Imp" was Logan's nickname for Keri.

She made a serious face. "Answer me this…are there any cookies left?"

Logan shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Rogue an' I ate 'em all."

"CURSE EVERYTHING!" Keri snarled.

Logan just shoved her off his lap.

***

After everyone had had dinner, Logan was hanging out in the kitchen while Kurt was telling Scott, Jean, and Rogue about his "adventures" in Germany over the holidays. "…And zo we realized zhat ze smell vas coming from ze attic! So, my Mom and me, ve crept up dere, and ve saw…animal poop!"

Jean let out a shriek. "EEW! ANIMAL POOP?!"

Kurt grinned. "Yah! It turns out zat a couple of squirrels had made a nest in our attic for ze winter! We were thinking about calling an exterminator, but last I heard, my Mom didn't have ze heart to kick 'em out into ze cold! So, ve're going to wait until spring."

"Yer Mom sounds pretty nice, Kurt," Rogue said.

"Yah. And my Dad's cool, too!" Kurt replied.

Scott looked around. "Hey, where's Keri? She loves squirrels, she ought to hear this!"

"Silence, please…I'm still trying to get the image of squirrel poop out of my brain!" Jean moaned.

"Sissy," Rogue muttered, only loud enough for Logan and herself to hear.

Logan chuckled.

Kurt happily continued his story: "Zat's pretty much the most interesting think zat happened vile I vas in Germany. I got ze best candy for Christmas, so I'd vest hide it from Keri…unless Logan's up for some exercise!"

Logan looked at him, "You can hide the candy, Elf, but I doubt it'll do any good…She's got a sixth sense, or somthin'…"

"Yah! Wait a minute, vhere is she?"

Scott groaned. "I just mentioned that! Wasn't anyone paying attention?!"

"…No," Everyone except Jean said at the same time.

"MY CANDY!" Kurt cried. In a cloud of white smoke, and the sound _BAMPH!_, Kurt disappeared. He reappeared a few seconds later, shaking his head. "False alarm. She didn't get in to ze candy. But vere could she be?"

"BOO!" A female voice yelled, and covered Kurt's eyes.

"YAAH!" Kurt screamed. Quickly, he ducked, and turned and looked at his "attacker". His frightened expression turned to a grin. "KITTY!"

Kitty smiled. "Hey, Kurt! Surprised ya, didn't I?" She turned to everyone else. "Like, hi, everyone! How's everyone been?"

Kurt looked around. "Kitty, do you know where Keri is?"

"Here!" Keri sang, walking through the wall.

"Vhere have you been?" Kurt asked.

Keri glared at him. "_I _was helping my friend get her stuff out of her car, unlike a certain German fuzz-ball! Honestly, what kind of a boyfriend are you?!"

Kitty giggled. "Oh, lay-off, Keri! I was, like, going to surprise him!"

Keri sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Whatever…Oh, by the way, Kurt? That German candy in your suitcase was really good!"

Kurt's jaw dropped. "But…But…I checked it! It vas undisturbed!"

Keri grinned mischievously. "Did you just look, or did you actually check to see if they weren't just wrappers with paper stuffed inside them?"

Kurt's eyes filled with rage. "KERI!"

She laughed nervously. "Hey, uh, cool it! I have some German candy, too! You can have some of mine! They're homemade! Yours were just from a company! It's OK!"

"I'M GONNA GET YOU!" Kurt yelled.

"YEEK!" Keri screamed. Abruptly, she turned invisible, and they all heard her run out of the room.

Kurt was ready to drop down on all fours and chase after her, but Kitty stopped him. "Hey! We didn't have time to talk. Doncha wanna give me a nice welcome?" She teased, mischievously running her fingers through his hair. "Or wouldja rather chase Keri?"

Kurt got the message. "Keri who?" He wrapped his arms around her, and then grinned at everyone. "'Bye." With that, he and Kitty _BAMPH_ed away.

Jean smiled. "Aren't they cute together?"

Scott smiled, too. "And so much in love!"

"What a buncha crap," Logan said, in his usual fashion of not caring about what anyone else thought. He walked out of the kitchen, his hands in his pockets.

As he left, he heard Rogue call after him, "You said it!" But if he had seen her face, he would've probably noticed that it didn't seem to agree with him as much as her mouth did.

***

That night, Logan was going to meet Shaina, as usual. But he was hungry, so he wanted to eat a snack first.

When he walked in to the kitchen, he noted that Rogue, Kitty, Jean, and Keri were in there, playing a card game.

"Hi, Logan!" Keri greeted. "Wanna play with us?"

"No thanks, Imp. I'm going out."

Jean blinked. "This late?"

Logan turned to her. "It's only 8:30. By the way, do we have any rolls left over from dinner?"

"You meetin' that girl again?" Rogue asked suddenly.

Logan was surprised. When had he told Rogue about Shaina? He remembered mentioning a "weird girl with purplish-blue eyes" when she had asked what he had done on Christmas Eve, but how did she know that she was meeting her?

"Yea, I am…but how'd ya know?" He replied.

Rogue smiled slightly. "Ya just told me. Besides, on Christmas, when you left, ah asked Professor X where ya went, and he told it was to meet this woman…so ah assumed it was her, and that's where you've been goin' off to every night."

Kitty smirked. "Wow, Logan. Sounds to me like you've got yourself a secret girlfriend!"

Logan groaned. "Oh, come on! Ya know how I feel about that 'love' business! Besides, we play pool every night! That's all! I hardly even know the woman!"

Kitty tisked. "Whatever you say!"

Keri was watching without saying a word. Then, she calmly stood up, smoothed out her skirt, walked over to Logan, flopped down on the ground, grabbed his leg and yelled, "I WANNA MEET YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

Logan tried to shake her off. "No. And she's not my girlfriend!"

"I DON'T CARE! I WANNA MEET…uh…what's her name?" Keri asked.

Logan sighed. "Shaina."

"Oh. As I was saying, I DON'T CARE! I WANNA MEET SHAINA!"

Logan wondered how to make her let go of his leg. "Sorry, Imp, but they don't allow minors in the bar."

Keri popped her head up and glared at him. "'Minor?' Is that what I am? Oh, am I one of seven weirdoes who whistle they work and dig up jewels?"

Logan rolled his eyes. " 'Min_or_.' 'Means you're under 18."

Keri thought for a minute, and then smiled. "Well, that's not a problem!" She turned invisible.

"No!" Logan snapped. "Am I gonna introduce her to an _invisible _girl?! She'd think I was crazy!"

"I can pick up things, and let her touch me! Being invisible doesn't keep me from being solid!" Keri argued, still invisible.

"NO!! AND THAT'S FINAL!" Logan snarled. He stalked out, but then poked his head back in. "And don't sit on the table!"

When Logan had left, Keri turned visible again, and she was indeed sitting on the table. "How'd he know?" She wondered out loud.

"Probably by the sound of your voice," Jean guessed.

"Grr…Badger's so mean!" Keri pouted.

"'Badger'?" Asked Kitty.

Keri glared at the wall. "I picked it up from Tabatha. It's my nickname for Logan when he's being STUPID…or MEAN!"

Rogue, who had been quiet this whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Wow, look the time! Ah think Ah'm just gonna go ta bed early! And Keri, Ah think you left yer Teddy Bear in mah room! Come an' get it!"

Keri blinked. "But Teddy's in my—"

"HE'S IN MAH ROOM!" Rogue interrupted, and grabbed Keri's arm. She then proceeded to drag her out of the kitchen.

She took them in to room that Rogue and Kitty shared, then she stopped, and closed the door.

Keri looked around. "Judging the lack of Teddy, or any visible plush in the room, I have a feeling that you have something to discuss with me."

Rogue ignored the fact that Keri had used large words to make herself sound important, and said, "D'ya really wanna meet Logan's girlfriend?"

Keri blinked. "Uh, yea!"

Rogue threw her hands in to the air. "Ah mean, it's yer right! After all, you're his ex!"

This was true. A few days after she had first arrived at the institute, Keri had announced that she was Logan's girlfriend. Everyone thought it was cute, and Logan put up with it because Scott assured him that, "She would grow out of it." And so she did, when a cute new boy came to her class.

Keri cupped her chin in her thumb and index finger. "True…and you have a right, because of your…well…" Her voice trailed off, and she smirked.

Rogue blushed slightly. "Yea…so, it's only fair for you an' ah to see this woman! So, ah suggest we go to the bar!"

Keri sighed. "Yea, I suppose that would work, except for three things: (1) How will we get there? (2) They don't let minors in to the bar, (3)What if Logan sees us?"

Rogue thought for a minute. "Well…Ah guess we could 'borrow' Scott's car, if ya know what ah mean…"

"Okay, and what about the other two?"

"Well," Rogue said, "Ah don't think they check ID when ya walk in, ah think that it's when ya actually order a drink. So, ah'll just sit in the corner, an' you can stay invisible. It'll work out!"

"And…if Logan sees us?"

"Well…you'll be invisible, and ah can wear a trench coat, sunglasses, and a hat…as far as scents go, ah suppose that if we both drown ourselves in perfume, than he won't recognize us…Whaddya say?"

Keri stared at the ground, her eyebrows a concentrated, straight line and her eyes narrowed. "OK! Let's do it!" She said suddenly.

Quickly, the two girls rounded up everything that they'd need. Now, all they needed to do was "borrow" Scott's car. They carefully crept through the hallways, and had just about to the garage, when they saw the shadow of Professor X coming around the corner.

"We must hide!" Keri whispered, and touched the back of Rogue's shirt. The two then turned invisible.

The Professor wheeled over, stopped, and looked at them. "Hello, Keri. Hello, Rogue."

"Curses…" Keri muttered, and the two turned visible again.

"Um, hai, Professor," Rogue said nervously.

The Professor smiled at them. "Good evening. But shouldn't you two be getting off to bed? You have school tomorrow, you know."

"We're just taking a little walk!" Keri replied.

The professor nodded. "Alright. It's nice to know that I can trust you two not to lie, and that you're not just going to sneak off to spy on Logan and his acquaintance…right?"

The two girls got the message.

Keri looked at him. "Heh, heh…so, you know about that?"

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Well, if he didn't before, then he does now."

The Professor smiled at them. "Actually, I already knew. I make a point not to pry, but you two think very loudly."

Rogue looked at her feet. "Sorry, Professor…"

Keri sighed. "Yea, I'm sorry, too."

"It's all right. We all make mistakes. But please keep in mind that what you were considering doing was dangerous, and illegal.

"Yes sir," The two girls chanted.

"Now, off to bed," He said. "We all have big days tomorrow. Good-night."

"Good-night,"

With that, the Professor wheeled away, leaving Keri and Rogue.

Keri groaned and shook her head. "Memo to self: never lie to a physic. Man, what a bummer! And I hate it when people say that it's OK and they forgive you, but then they stick you with a guilt trip!"

"Yea…" Rogue agreed, not really paying attention. What the Professor said made her nervous. She "thought loudly"? Did that mean that Jean could read her mind, too?

__

Did the Professor know her Secret?!

***

"Logan?" Shaina asked.

"Hmmm?" Logan responded, breaking out of his hunger-brought trance (He never ended up eating a snack).

"I just won!" She said.

"HUH?!" Logan gasped. "How the…what…I…"

She smirked. "Look at the table if you don't believe me!"

He looked down, and sure enough, Shaina had won. "So, I guess I owe you a drink, huh?" He groaned.

"That's correct. By-the-way, why is it that once again, we're the only ones in the bar?"

Logan looked around. "Well, there's a guy over there…" He was referring to a young man who was sitting at a table, muttering to himself.

"Yea…well, Logan, I'd really like my drink now."

Logan looked over at the bar. "The bartender's not there, and I have to uh…um…"

"You have to…?" Shaina prompted.

"…Use the toilet." Logan admitted.

Shaina sighed. "Go. You can by me my drink when the bartender's back."

Feeling as though he had lost his dignity, Logan went off to the restroom.

When he got back, the scene had changed. Shaina had apparently gone and sat down at the bar, and the two guys had decided to get friendly.

"Hi, Honey, how are ya?" One of them asked.

"I'm alright," She answered.

"What's a cute girl like you doin' in a place like this?" He asked.

"Waiting for my male acquaintance to get out of the john and buy me a drink."

"How's about I buy you a drink, sweetie?"

"I generally don't allow strangers to buy me stuff…or call me, 'Sweetie'."

"Well, if we got to know each other, then we wouldn't be strangers."

"Yea…that'd work, except for one thing…HIT THE ROAD, JACK!"

His smile faded. "Come on…I just wanted to get to know you!"

At this point, it dawned on Logan that Shaina might need his help…but something inside of him told him that she could handle herself…

"Yea, and I just told you to go away!" Shaina eyed an empty, glass bottle on the counter near her.

He seemed to read her mind, and snatched it up. "Mind if I hold this? Thanks!" He spat.

Shaina's eyes narrowed. "I warned you…" Slowly, she reached her hand out her hand, and pressed it to the bottle. Then, she concentrated. Long, bold cracks appeared on it.

The guy was surprised. "What the…?"

And then it shattered. With a loud crack, pieces of dark drown glass flew in all directions.

"YAAH!" He screamed. Logan could tell by look on his face that he was pretty thankful that he had been wearing gloves, saving him from the jagged shards.

Shaina stood up, an angered look in her face. "Ya know those really scary mutants that you see on TV? Well guess what?"

He backed away. "Hey, calm down…I'm leaving…"

"I'M ONE OF 'EM!" Shaina screeched, and she pressed her hand on the wall. Cracks appeared on it.

"Leave me alone!" He cried.

"Get away from me!" She hissed.

He ran out of the door, a terrified look on his face.

Logan was shocked. Shaina was a mutant?! He managed to regain his senses, and walked over to her.

"Logan!" She exclaimed.

He inhaled. "You think you know someone, and then they surprise you by being a mutant!"

Her jaw dropped, but she didn't say anything.


	4. A Secret Power

Chapter Four:

A Secret Power

__

January 3 (still)

Shaina looked like she was going to have a heart attack. "I…I…"

Logan folded him arms across his chest. "And I thought we knew every mutant in Bayville."

Shaina blinked her eyes. "Wait…Who's 'we'? Are you with the cops or something? 'Cause if you are, I've never used my powers for evil, and that stunt with the bottle was in self-defense!"

Logan held his hands out. "Whoa, hold on…I'm not a cop."

"Then who's 'we'?!" She laughed nervously. "What, are you a mutant, too?"

Logan smiled slightly. "Actually…yea, I am…"

Shaina's eye widened. "No way! You're joking, right?"

Logan shook his head. "No,"

"Well then…what's your power!"

Logan sighed, and picked up a shard of glass from the ground. Wincing, he made a cut in his arm.

"What did you—"

"Shhh…Wait," He interrupted.

And then, before her eyes, the flesh mended itself, as if there had never been a cut.

"Whoa…" Shaina breathed.

And that ain't all…" Logan said. He held an arm out to his side, and ejected his claws.

"You have two powers?!" Shaina gasped.

Loan shook his head. "Nah. Only the healin's my power. The claws…well, I'm not sure where they came from, nor do I wanna discuss it. But I'll let ya in on a secret: I'm a lot older than I look."

Shaina laughed. "Oh, yea…what are you, 40?"

"Try more like 70. I fought in World War II."

Shaina's jaw dropped. "World War II? As in 1940's World War II?! But…you look like you're 27 or something!"

"That's what people say. But enough about me. What's your deal?"

Shaina sat down at the bar, and sighed. "Well, first off, you've already seen it, but my power…is that I can make cracks and splits in solid objects…and in the case of glass, if it gets a lot of cracks, it'll shatter. Wood and cement and that kind of thing will collapse. My power doesn't work on anything living, except for trees."

"How long have you known?" Logan asked, sitting down next to her.

"About my power? Oh, I think since I was 14…I got mad, and I shattered this test tube in the school science lab. The chemicals burned a hole right through the table! I was so shocked, they sent me to the nurse…and I made a chair collapse!"

Logan exhaled and shook his head. "That's how it is for a lot of people: All of the sudden, your powers kick in, and you don't know what the heck is goin' on".

Shaina swung her legs and looked at her feet. "Yea, and the thing was that because I was panicking, everything I touched was getting cracks it in. I remember thinking, 'What's happening?! What's wrong with me?!' Finally, I calmed down, and it stopped. Once I got past the 'excessive, accidental use of power' stage, then I had to concentrate to use it."

Logan nodded. "Do other people know?"

Shaina smiled weakly. "No. It's my secret. Lucky for me, I can control my power, so it doesn't interfere with my life. Some people can't control theirs, like that kid, Scott Summers. He has to wear sunglasses, or else he'll destroy everything."

"I know Summers."

"You do?"

"Yea…and a bunch of other mutants. You know the Xavier institute?"

"You mean that place that people thought was a boarding house, but it was really an institute for mutants?"

"Uh-huh. That's where I live."

"Oh, cool!" She smiled. "Is it nice, living with other mutants, so you don't have to hide your power or make excuses?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Well, most of 'em are teens, and you know how that is."

"Yea. Hey, Logan, what time is it?"

"It's 10:00."

Shaina exhaled. "I'd love to stay and talk, but I gotta get going."

"Right…'Night, Shaina."

"Good-night, Logan." She star walked to the door, and exited the bar.

Logan looked at his shoes, thinking about this. It had never occurred to him that Shaina might be a mutant. And what were the odds that the two would meet up, and grow close? He had a feeling that Professor X needed to know about Shaina.

It was then that he realized that he had never ended up buying her a drink.

***

"…And then she left. Whaddya make of it, Charles?" Logan asked the Professor. As soon as he got back to the institute, he had told Professor X about his strange ordeal with Shaina.

The Professor pressed his fingers together. "I'm not sure, Logan. She seems to be content with her life as a normal person, and keeping her gift a secret. Though my only concern is that she might be forced to or willingly join Magneto. He seems to have his own ways to locate mutants, and I fear for her safety. Do you think she would like to visit the institute?"

"Beats me," Logan answered honestly. "I guess I could ask her…"

"Why don't you? Are you meeting her tomorrow?"

"Yea. I'll ask her then."

"Good. And Logan?

"Yea?"

"I don't want the students to make a fuss, so let's keep this to ourselves for now. Alright?"

"Right. 'Night, Charles." With that, he departed to his room, and went to sleep.

***

__

January 4

Logan sighed out the window. Raindrops beat against the glass, and water soaked the lawn.

"Logan?" Beast asked.

"Huh?" Logan muttered.

"Let's go!"

"Oh, yea…right…" Logan broke away from the window, and walked off with him. He and Beast were working on some new scenarios in the Danger Room, and while Logan was needed for his understanding of the room, he was mainly there as a guinea pig. After all, if he got nailed by a saw, and his arm was hanging on by a thread, he could just heal himself.

As they walked down to the danger room, Logan couldn't help but think about how the Professor had told him to ask Shaina if she wanted to visit the institute. How are you supposed to ask a girl that? "Hey, you wanna come and meet a bunch of mutants that I live with?" That just sounded idiotic!

Logan was still thinking when Beast got the simulation ready, and was briefing Logan on possible tactics.

When he was in the Danger Room, he decided to tell Shaina it was Professor X's Idea. After all, mutant or not, Professor X was a highly respected man.

He would have given the matter more thought, but the simulation had started, and he had lasers and giant saws to dodge.

***

That night, after their game of pool, Logan broached the subject of meeting the other mutants to Shaina.

Shaina took a sip of her drink (it was one of the rare occasions that Shaina lost, and Logan head a feeling it was because she was thinking about last night). "I dunno…" She sighed.

"Why not? Ya said you wanted to meet other mutants."

"I know, but it'd be kinda weird. I mean, I've always had to suppress my power and not let anyone tell, and now I'm supposed to tell a bunch of total strangers?"

"Come on, Shaina. The Professor really wants to meet ya, and everyone's real nice!" He almost gagged from saying something so corny.

Shaina realized this, too. "Well, you're sounding as corny as maize. But if it means so much to Charles Xavier…" She stopped and smiled, "…and you…" She looked down at her feet. "I guess I'll do it!"

Logan nodded. "Good. How about we meet here at regular time, and I'll take ya to the institute?"

"Right."

Logan exhaled. Well, he had completed his task, and she had agreed to it. But why had she smiled when she said, "And you?"

***

__

January 5

The next morning, at breakfast, Professor X broke the news about Shaina.

"So, is she coming to stay with us?" Scott asked.

The professor sighed. "I don't know yet, Scott."

Keri seemed distracted. "Shaina Hope…Shaina Hope…SHAI-NA HOPE…Where've I heard that name before? Hey, Jamie, doesn't that name sound familiar? I think it's someone at our school…"

Jamie thought hard. "Yea…it does…" He tapped his head, and as he did so, multiples of himself apeared.

"Hey, watch it!" Keri shrieked as she was crowded and pushed out of her chair.

"Sorry…" He apologized, returning just to one of himself.

"…Wait, so you two _know _Shaina?"

Jamie looked at him. "We didn't say _that_. We just said that the name was familiar."

The Professor clapped his hands. "Students, it's time for school. You can all meet Shaina this evening when she arrives here."

As the students filed out, Logan kept thinking about what Keri and Jamie had told him. They _knew _someone named Shaina Hope, but they weren't sure where from. It was probably just a coincidence. The first name, 'Shaina' and last name, 'Hope' were pretty common, and it was possible that there was indeed another girl with that name. Besides, it didn't make sense. Shaina was in her late 20's, and Keri and Jamie were eight and 12, respectively. How could they know each other?

***

"Logan?"

"Yea?"

"I don't think I can do this…"

Logan sighed. They were already at the front steps of the institute. "What are you so nervous about?"

"I dunno…I guess meeting other mutants…"

"Well, don't worry! They'll all pretty calm, and we'll just introduce ya slowly."

"Uh, can I reschedule?"

"Too late!" Logan half-led, half-dragged Shaina in to the front door of the institute.

Everything was calm, and ready for Logan to introduce Shaina slowly…

…That is, if you were to ignore the fact that Kitty and Keri were playing a game of tag in which phasing through walls was allowed, and laughing loudly was required.

Logan groaned, and put his face in his hand. "HALF-PINT, IMP! KNOCK IT OFF! WE HAVE COMPANY!" He yelled.

Kitty stuck her head out of the wall. "Huh?" Then, she noticed Shaina. "Oh, is that, like, her?!" She pulled the rest of her body out, and walked over to Shaina. "Hi!" She greeted.

Shaina nodded and smiled. "Um, hi…nice power!"

Kitty grinned. "Oh, that? Wall Phasing? Yea, it's my thing."

Keri suddenly walked through the wall. "Kitty, have we not discussed proper 'I-give-up' gesture?" She looked up and saw Shaina. Her jaw dropped. "…Miss Hope?!"

Shaina looked equally surprised. "Keri Smith?!"

There was a two-second pause, and then, at the exact same time, they both said, "YOU'RE A MUTANT?!"

Logan was confused. "Wait…you two _do _know each other?"

Keri nodded. "Yea…she teaches P.E. at my school!"

Shaina nodded, too. "And Keri's my student! And let me tell ya, all of her antics that I _don't_ witness, I hear about in the teacher's lounge!"

Keri narrowed her eyes. "Curses…I _knew_ that you teachers gossip about me!"

Logan was now shocked. "You're a teacher?! You never told me that!

Shaina smirked. "You never asked. Besides, it's more like a coach." She turned back to Keri. "So, you're a mutant…I didn't know!"

Keri nodded again. "Yea, 'cause only the principal, my teacher, and my two friends know, and they're sworn to secrecy! My parents and Professor X want for people to think I'm normal."

"So…what's your power? Going through walls?"

Keri turned invisible. "…And invisibility! I've got two!"

Shaina sighed. "Keri Smith is a mutant…I'm scared now…"

They probably could've stood there, chattering all night, but then, Professor X wheeled in to the room.

"Ah, Miss Hope. We have been expecting you. I am Professor Charles Xavier." He stuck his hand out.

Shaina shook it. "And, I guess you already know, but I'm Shaina Hope."

"Come along, the others are waiting." He led Shaina away to the living room.

And so began her evening at the institute. She was introduced to all of the mutants, who displayed their power (some, like Scott, had to go outside to), and everyone was thrilled when she displayed hers, using a glass bottle she had brought from home. Jamie was just as surprised as Keri to see "Miss Hope" was a mutant.

"That's so weird! No one treated you differently when mutants were discovered!" He commented.

Shaina nodded. "That's because no one _knew _I was a mutant. I've been laying low for 14 years, and that didn't seem like a particularly good time to come forward."

Jamie blinked. "So, how old are you?"

Keri, who was halfway across the room, heard him. "Jamie! That's rude!" She scolded. She took off the slipper she was wearing and threw it at him. It smacked him on top of the head, which bounced off and hit a duplicate of him it, which bounced and hit _another _duplicate of him, until on the fifth bounce, the in which the slipper hit the wall and stopped.

Shaina smiled. "I'm 28."

Keri considered this. "Well, that would explain why you and Logan look about the same age."

"Oh, _now _who's being rude?!" Jamie countered, cramming back in to one.

"I'm just making a comment!" Keri snapped as she threw her other slipper at him, which produced the same effect as the first one.

Shaina laughed, and turned to Logan. "Are they always like this?"

Logan nodded. "Yea. They don't get along too well…"

Later, when they were all outside, and the Professor was talking with Shaina, Rogue walked up to them. "'Scuse me, Professor, but can ah interrupt for just a second?"

The Professor nodded. "Go ahead."

Rogue turned to Shaina. "Is it true what they're sayin'? Are you Logan's girlfriend?"

Shaina giggled. "Is that what you people think?"

Rogue looked embarrassed. "Well…ah just…wanna set 'em straight, that's all. Ah hate gossip."

Shaina nodded. "Me, too. No, Logan and I are just friends."

For some reason, Rogue looked relieved. "OK. I'll tell 'em." With that, she walked off.

Shaina rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone think I'm Logan's girlfriend?"

"When two people of the opposite gender form a friendship, people assume things," Said the Professor. "Usually, in that case, people mistake signs and characteristics of a friendship for those of affection. But then again, a lot of relationships start from a friendship, and you must keep in mind that you Logan meeting at night, which is the time that a lot of couples go out on dates."

Shaina looked at him, blinked her eyes, and said, "Whoa, that's deep. You get that off of a bumper sticker or something?"

***

"So, they're not dating?" Keri clarified, later that evening. Logan was taking Shaina home, and the girls were all sitting in Jean's room, talking.

Rouge shook her head. "No. Ah asked her."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Oh, yea, as if she would, like, tell you!"

Jean sighed. "Well, if she _says_ they're not dating, then I think we should believe her."

Keri nodded. "Yea…Although she _does _seem to be his type…"

The girls leaned in toward Keri. "His _type_?

Keri nodded vigorously. "Oh, yea! I mean, I could see the chemistry!"

Rogue couldn't take anymore. "What's wrong with you people?!" She snapped.

Everyone turned to her. "Huh?" Said Kitty.

"Why're ya'll gossipin' about Logan?! So what if he's made a friend who's a girl?! That doesn't mean he likes her!"

Jean blinked. "Rogue, we—"

"Forget it! Ah got better thing to do than listen to this crap!" Rogue snarled, and with that, she stomped out.

She was about to make it to her room, when she met up with Keri.

Keri looked a bit sad. "Rogue…I'm sorry…"

Rogue looked at the ground.

Keri was the only one who knew why Rogue was so sensitive about the whole thing with Shaina. Keri knew Rouge's secret.

Rogue sighed. "Ah'm sorry, too…but…"

Keri tapped her foot. "You don't have to say anything. In fact, don't! After all, there could be spies!"

Rogue blinked. "…Spies?"

"Yes! Now, would you like for me to braid your hair?"

"Wait…what?"

"Would you like for me to braid your hair?"

"Keri, you're talkin' at a mile a minute!"

"Why're you idiots making so much noise?" Said a new but familiar voice.

The two turned and saw Logan standing at the top of the stairs.

"Logan!" Said Rogue. She was relieved that's Keri's incoherent babbling had kept her from revealing her secret!

"Go to bed! Doncha have school tomorrow?!"

"It's Friday, Badger," Keri retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Don't call me that. And whaddya mean, it's Friday? You all just went back to school two days ago!"

"We went back on a Thursday. Don't know why, and I sure don't care!" Keri sang.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yea…right…Well, 'night."

"Good-night!" Rogue and Keri replied.

When he had left, Keri sighed. "Idn't he the best?"

Rogue smiled, blushing slightly. "Yea…he is…"

***

__

January 12

Where is she? Logan wondered.

It had been a week since Shaina had visited the institute. The two had continued their nightly ritual of playing pool, and while it was obvious Shaina would've liked to talk about mutants and the X-Men, the bar was becoming more crowded as the Holidays grew further and further behind.

However, tonight, she was late.

Logan looked at his watch. 8:17 PM. He'd wait another 15 minutes, and then go back to the mansion.

He had two things on his mind: (1) She was never late to their games of pool, and he had also learned from Keri that she had a reputation for almost never being late to her class. And (2) Once again, _when _did he start wearing a watch?

He looked around, and sighed. The bar was almost empty, so they probably could've had a mutant-related conversation…

Suddenly, Shaina burst in, panting, and looking exhausted. She took one look around the bar, and her gaze fell on Logan. "Hey…" She wheezed as she walked over to him.

Logan stood up. "Shaina? What's wrong?" That's when he noticed that one of her shirt sleeves was torn, revealing four bleeding scratches.

"I've…been…running," She panted. "Some weird guy…broke in to my apartment…"

Logan was suspicious. "What he look like?" He asked.

Shaina thought for a second. "Long hair…a weird outfit…he was like a wild animal…His nails were sharp…got me in the shoulder…"

Logan knew at once. "Saber—"

BAM!

With a loud crash, the was smashed off it's hinges and thrown halfway across the bar. Sabertooth strolled in.

Shaina's eyes widened. "It's him!"

Logan stood in front of her. "Sabertooth…" He growled.

Sabertooth turned, and saw Logan. "Logan…"

Shaina looked at the two of them. "You two know each other?"

"We go back," Logan answered shortly.

"Outta my way, runt," Sabertooth growled. "I'm here for the girl."

"Over my dead body, bub!"

"Fine by me." With that, Sabertooth lunged at Logan.

Logan ejected his claws, and dodged, dragged Shaina with him. He placed her in a corner. "Stay here," He ordered.

"No problem!" Shaina said, who was obviously very spooked by this.

Logan turned back to Sabertooth, who was obviously not going to back down. He and Sabertooth growled at each other.

"Whaddya want with her?" Logan hissed.

"_I _don't…it's my boss who wants her!" He tackled Logan, knocking him over on his back.

The two rolled around for a bit, each one fighting for control. Eventually, Logan managed to get Sabertooth across the sternum with his claws.

Sabertooth roared, stood up, and backed away a few steps. He pressed his fingers to the wound, and saw the blood. He bared his teeth.

"Ya getting' a little rusty?" Logan sneered.

Sabertooth let out another roar, and charged towards Logan. "I'm gonna get ya, ya stupid piece of weasel crap!" He threw a punch at Logan, who veered to the side, but Sabertooth just punched with his other hand, and this time, it connected.

Logan groaned, and fell backwards, landing on his butt. There was blood on the side of his face. "Rrrr…" He growled.

Sabertooth stepped toward him. "Se ya around, runt!"

And that's when Shaina tackled him from behind, and got on his back. It was kind of funny, seeing as how he was at least two times her size. But Shaina seemed to know what she was doing, and she had a determined look on her face. Somehow, despite Sabertooth's thrashing, she managed to spread her hands over his, so each of her fingertips were covering his claws. She concentrated hard.

At this point, Sabertooth turned around, so all Logan could see was his and Shaina's back. Suddenly, Sabertooth howled in pain, but at the same time, he managed to grab off his back Shaina. He held her above his head for a second, roared, and then threw her. She hit the wall with _BAM_, and laid crumpled on the ground.

Sabertooth turned towards Logan, and took a swipe at him, getting him on the shoulder, in roughly the same place as Shaina had been scratched.

Logan ended up with four lines of blood there, but he could tell by the scent that it was Sabertooth's, not his. This confused Logan, until he saw Sabertooth's fingers: his claws were gone, and his fingertips were raw and bleeding. Then Logan understood what Shaina had done: the tips of your nails are dead, which is why it doesn't hurt to clip them. But if you clip it too far, then it hurts and sometimes bleeds, because you've cut the part that is living. And since Shaina's power didn't work on anything living, she had just cracked and broken the tips of his nails, and in the process, had indirectly cracked the living part. This action had disarmed Sabertooth of his claws, his greatest weapon.

Logan stood up and smirked. "Look's like Mr. Kitty's been de-clawed." He charged at Sabertooth, knocking him backwards.

Logan realized that he probably should make this short, as Shaina may need medical attention. He looked up, and saw the lights: they were the kind that were about six feet long, six inches wide, and covered by a metal cage. He formed an idea, and prayed that it didn't go wrong.

Sabertooth regained his composure, and lunged at Logan. Logan jumped on to the pool table, and then up toward the ceiling, and severed one of two cords connecting a light fixture to the ceilings. Only one cord couldn't support it, and it snapped, leaving the enormous fixture no choice but to fall.

And fall it did, with a loud _CRASH_, and a shower of sparks…and then landed directly on Sabertooth's head!

He let out a indistinct noise, and then slumped on the ground…out cold.

Logan let out a sigh of exhaustion. He turned and saw Shaina was still laying on the ground, and ran over to her. He propped her up, and noticed a line of blood oozing from her forehead. "Shaina? SHAINA!" He said, trying to wake her up.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, but still looked tired. "Huh?" She moaned. "Oh, it's you…did it work?"

Logan assumed that she meant the thing with breaking Sabertooth's claws. "Yea…good thinkin'."

"Riiiiight …Is he dead?"

Logan looked at Sabertooth, who was still underneath the light fixture. "Don't count on it…but we'd best get outta before he wakes up."

"OK…" She blinked a few times, and then said distantly, "Don't provoke the animals." Then, she passed out again.


	5. Splinter

Chapter Five:

"Splinter"

__

January 13

When Shaina awoke the next morning, she had no idea where she was. So, she went with the approach that seemed the most plausible: screaming very loudly, "AHHHHHH! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"

A second later, Beast walked in to the room. "Please refrain from screaming like that. We're indoors, and it's 10:00 AM."

Shaina looked up at him. "Huh?" She asked stupidly. Who was this strange, furry blue creature that looked like an animal but talked with such a dignified manner? Was she drunk? Then, it hit her: it was Hank McCoy, the Professor she had met a week ago while touring the institute.

He looked at her. "How do you feel?"

She flopped down on her pillow. "Like I've been hit by a car. But I'll live."

Beast shook his head. "I'm not surprised. Sabertooth has that effect on people. You were lucky to get away with just a minor concussion."

Shaina looked up at him. "_Just _a minor concussion? He seems like one bad dude…ah, what am I saying? I teach P.E. at an Elementary School! You gotta be made of tough stuff for that!"

Beast blinked. "When you say, 'you gotta be made of tough stuff', do you mean physically, or emotionally?"

"Both. You gotta deal with kids running in to you at exactly stomach level, and swinging heavy objects in all directions, as well as dealing with people who won't take turns and wait until they get up on the high balance beam to realize that they're afraid of heights."

Beast smiled. "Ah…I see…I used to teach athletics at Bayville High."

Their conversation ended when Charles Xavier wheeled in to the room. "Good morning, Shaina."

"'Morning, Professor," Shaina replied.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better. You gave Logan quite a scare." The Professor said.

"Um, what exactly _happened _last night?" Shaina asked.

"Logan tells me that you were late meeting him, and when you arrived, you described an encounter with Sabertooth at your apartment, and then, Sabertooth charged in. Logan fought him for awhile, but then you used your power to break off his claws. He then threw you against a wall, giving you a concussion. However, Sabertooth not having his claws gave Logan an advantage, and he won the fight. Seeing that you may need medical attention, he brought you back here."

Shaina nodded. "Oh, yea…it's all coming back now…Um, where's Logan now?"

The Professor shook his head. "Actually, I have no idea. He comes and goes as he pleases, and doesn't often like to discuss where he's going or where he's been."

Shaina rolled her eyes. "Why'm I not surprised?" She sighed and rubbed her neck. "Anyway, thanks for your help, but I gotta get home. Sailor Chicks is probably worried about me."

"Sailor Chicks?" Beast inquired.

She smiled. "She's my cat. 'Sailor Chicks' is short for '**Sailor** **Chi**nese Chopst**icks**'. It's a _long _story."

The Professor cleared his throat. "Yes, about that. I think it would be in your best interest to stay at the institute."

She turned to him. "…Excuse me?"

"I know it sounds odd, but it's for your safety. For you see, Sabertooth was not working alone…he is an associate of Magneto, a very powerful mutant who is bent on wiping out humans. He takes what he wants by force, and while I'm not sure what he wants you for exactly, I know that you're not safe as long as he wants you and knows where you live."

Shaina sighed. "I don't suppose I can argue with that. But I really don't wanna impose. Or seem like a free loader. Besides, I reiterate: I have a cat. A pregnant cat, I may add."

"You won't be imposing. Keri tells me that you are a P.E. teacher, so I don't suppose you would mind aiding Logan, Hank, and Ororo with training, as well as doing the occasional chore around the mansion, you'll be fine. As far as the cat goes, as long as you take responsibility for it and its children, we don't mind."

Shaina sighed. "If you say so…I guess that means I need to go get my stuff…"

"Yes. Whenever you feel up to it."

"I'm alright now…But I don't suppose I could take a shower first?"

***

About 45 minutes later, Shaina, and Ororo took the X-Van to Shaina's apartment. Keri had insisted on coming along too, simply because she wanted to see a teacher's home.

Shaina was still wearing the clothes she had slept in, which were the clothes she had fought Sabertooth in, but she figured that could probably just change when they got back to the institute.

The apartment building itself was rather nice, with about five stories of 20 rooms on each complex. Shaina's apartment was on the second story. "Sorry if it's a mess," she apologized in advance. With that, she opened the door.

The apartment was in fact slightly messy, but in a cozy sort of way. It basically looked like any other apartment, except for the decorations and touches that made it original.

"Wow…I'm in a teacher's apartment!" Keri breathed.

"Yea…Right…" Shaina retorted. She turned and said to what seemed like no one, "Here, Sailor Chicks! Sailor Chinese Chopsticks? Here, kitty-kitty!" When this failed to produce any results, Shaina rolled her eyes. "Ah, she'll come out as soon as she I go the kitchen."

And so their loading began. Fortunately, Shaina really didn't own a lot of things, so they were done after three boxes and 30 minutes…and she proved her theory about Sailor Chicks correct. For the minute she entered the kitchen, a fat white cat with a brownish-olive back trotted in to the room, purring. 

Shaina glared at her. "Oh, so _now _you wanna be a loving companion?"

Sailor Chicks looked around, her green eyes settling on Ororo and Keri.

Keri's eyes shined. "CUUUUTE!" She squealed. She ran over began petting Sailor Chicks on the head.

The cat closed her eyes happily, and (still purring) stood up, signaling that she wanted Keri to stroke her back.

Shaina shook her head. "That cat…I'm actually glad that she didn't try anything heroic when that guy—Sabertooth, was it?—broke in. She has a tendency to attack things more than twice her size. The neighbor's Labrador is afraid of her."

Keri looked at Sailor Chicks. "I _love _cats!" She said dreamily. "And rabbits, and squirrels, and hamsters, and…"

Ororo ignored Keri and instead focused on the sliding glass door in Shaina's apartment…or, at least it's remains. Most of it was smashed, and bits of broken glass were littered everywhere. "So, this is where he came in." Storm noted.

Shaina shrugged. "Yea, I guess." She took a quick survey. "Well, that's everything."

Keri walked over, carrying Sailor Chicks over her shoulders. "You don't really own a lot, do you?"

"I'm single, and I'm a teacher. Whaddya expect?" As she spoke, she pulled out a cat-carrier from one of the boxes. "Sailor Chicks, time to go for a ride."

Sailor Chicks meowed.

"No, we're not going to the vet!"

Keri sat Sailor Chicks in to the ground, and she trotted in to the carrier.

The three girls loaded the three boxes and Sailor Chick's carrier in to the X-Van. Then, came the what Ororo and Keri thought would be the tricky part: telling Shaina's landlord that she was moving out. Not so. Their conversation went something like this.

"Hey, Mitch. I'm moving out."

"OK."

"Here's my key."

"OK."

"…Um, I broke the sliding glass door."

"Whatever."

"I'll pay for it."

"Nah. I screwed up on your bill a few times. Let's just call it even."

"Right…See ya…"

"You, too."

As they were driving back to the mansion, Keri piped up. "Well, he seemed nice!"

"There's a difference between being nice and not caring," Ororo sighed.

Sailor Chicks meowed.

***

Logan had been driving around all morning. Partly to see if he could pick up Sabertooth's trail, but mostly because he needed to get out of the institute. He knew he had to go back eventually, but he knew that if he went back, he had to see how Shaina was doing, and what if she hadn't gotten better? Even though he knew it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but feel guilty…after all, Sabertooth was _his _mortal enemy.

Eventually, he admitted defeat and went back to the institute. When he walked in the door, he noticed a cat walking around. It turned, looked at him, and then scampered off. _When did we get a cat? _He wondered.

It was then that Professor X wheeled in to the room. "Logan. It's nice to see you."

"Yea…Hey, Charles, how's Shaina?"

"Oh, Shaina…she's—"

"Right here!" Interrupted a familiar voice.

Logan turned and saw Shaina, wearing a pair of loose jeans and a green sweater. "Shaina!" He exclaimed.

"Yup!" She said with a grin. "I'm here, out of bed, and I'm staying here for a while!"

Logan was surprised. "You're…stayin' here?"

The Professor piped up. "I think it's best, as Magneto seems to have his eye on her."

Shaina poked him in the back. "I hate to cut this short, but did you by any chance see a cat around here?"

Logan nodded. "Yea, it was headed in that direction." As he spoke, he pointed to his left.

Shaina nodded. "Right." She then departed, running down the hallways.

Logan turned to the Professor. "…Is she really stayin' here?"

The Professor nodded. "Yes, quite so."

Logan thought hard. "Why would Magneto want her?"

"I honestly have no idea. Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear yelling upstairs, and I believe it involves Keri, clear plastic wrap, and the toilet bowl." He wheeled away towards the elevator.

Logan was left standing there, alone. For some reason, he felt a bit annoyed.

Suddenly, Keri came bounding down the stairs loudly.

Logan looked up at her. "Did you put plastic wrap on the toilet bowl?"

Keri glared at him. "That was Evan!"

"Evan hasn't lived here for six months!"

"Really? Well, then I guess it _was _me. But don't be too upset, it was Scott who ended up with the surprise."

"Scott, eh?"

"He can't take a joke! It was just a harmless prank, and the he goes and starts screaming like I had hidden a snake in there! Anyway, did you know that Shaina's gonna be staying with us for a while?"

"Yea, I heard."

"She's got a cat! Her name's Sailor Chinese Chopsticks, but Shaina just calls her Sailor Chicks!"

"Uh-Huh. Where's her room?"

"It's the third one on the left in the second hallway. Though I think that now she's out looking for—"

Keri didn't have enough time to finish her sentence, as all of the sudden, they heard Scott's voice bellow, "**_KERI!!"_**

Keri's eyes shot open. "You know, I'd _love _to continue our conversation, but I've got an angry, eye-beam shooting college freshman out to get me. Toodle-Loo!" She made a mad-dash out of the mansion, phasing through the door instead of stopping to open it.

Logan rolled his eyes, and at the same time, wondered if he could have a conversation with each one of the X-Men if he just stood in that one spot all day.

***

Rogue was in the room she shared with Kitty, laying on her stomach on her bed, reading a book. It was very boring, and it was starting to make her drowsy.

She was, however, snapped to attention when Keri stomped in, slamming the door and blowing on her hands. "Would it have killed him to remind me that it was January and 20° outside?!" Keri demanded to no one in particular.

Kitty walked in. "Oh, hey, Keri. What's up? Did Scott, like, catch you?"

Keri shook her head, and blew on her hands some more. "No, I was running from him, and I went outside, and Logan didn't think to tell that it was 20° out there!"

"Oh…" Even if you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, 20° is still pretty darn cold.

"Anyway, I was wondering if I could borrow your electric blanket," Keri continued.

"Oh, sure. Let me get it." Kitty grabbed it from her drawer, and wrapped it around Keri. The two then sat on Kitty's bed and had an elaborate conversation that Rogue couldn't follow. So, she left the room without another word.

Almost as soon as she set out in to the hallways, she bumped in to someone.

"'Skuse me," Said a female voice that Rogue recognized as Shaina's.

"Oh, hello, Shaina," Rogue muttered.

"Um, where's the bathroom? _Please _tell me that there's more than one in this place!" Shaina asked frantically.

Rogue smiled slightly. "There's actually one for the girls, one for the boys, one for the Professor specifically, and a couple around the Danger Room."

"Great…Now, can you show me the way to the Girl's Bathroom?"

"Follow me." With that, she led Shaina down to the bathroom. On their way, Rogue asked, "So, are you really staying at the institute?"

"I guess," Shaina said with shrug. "Professor Xavier really wanted me to. He's given me a part-time teaching job here."

"You're gonna teach us?" Rogue said, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Shaina looked at her. "Hey, never underestimate an Elementary School Gym teacher!"

"Well, you're gonna need a uniform…and a code-name."

"Huh?"

"Ah mean, we all have uniforms that we wear while training and on missions, and code-names that we use, too. For example, Keri's is 'Dark Elf', Kitty's is 'Shadowcat', Scott's is Cyclops, and Logan's is Wolverine."

"Wolverine, hmm? Why am I not surprised?" Shaina asked absentmindedly. "Well, I'll think about it…"

"We're here," Rogue announced.

"What?"

"The bathroom…we're here."

"Oh! Thanks!" Shaina walked inside and shut the door.

Rogue sighed. It was common knowledge at this time that Shaina was going to be living at the institute, and the students had all been talking about her. Rogue had to agree with Logan: she was weird, but in a charming way. Rogue could probably like her, as long as Logan didn't…

Well, she didn't want to think about that right now.

***

Shaina was washing her hands when she began to think about what Rogue had said. _"Well, you're gonna need a uniform…and a code-name."_

She turned the water off. _You had a name_, a part of her brain pointed out. _Do you remember? It was the name he gave you. And you gave him "Morpheus". Because he could—_

_Stop! _She commanded. _Don't think about that!_ She splashed some water in her face, trying to clear her thoughts.

Abruptly, she heard a distinct "Meow!" outside the door. She walked out, and there stood Sailor Chicks, waiting for her.

"Hello," Shaina said casually. "Been standing there long?"

"Meow," Was her cat's response.

"Uh-huh." Together, the two of them walked over to Shaina's room, which was a heck of a lot neater than her apartment.

She laid down on her side on her bed, and Sailor Chicks hopped on as well. Sailor Chicks gave Shaina a look.

"Yes, I know," Shaina sighed as she stroked the cat's head. "But don't worry, in a few days, the room'll be messed up properly."

"Are you talkin' to that cat?" Shaina heard a gruff voice ask.

Shaina turned and saw Logan standing in the doorway. "And if I am?" She teased. She sat up. "Well, sit down!"

Logan obeyed.

Sailor Chicks looked up, and stared at him for a few seconds. Then, she began washing her left-front paw.

"What was _that_?" Said Logan.

"Oh, she was just registering that you're mutant. That's one of her many quirks."

"What?"

"That's what she does whenever she sees a mutant."

She knows I'm a mutant?"

"Uh-huh."

"How do you know that's what it is?"

"Well, she did it the first time she saw me, when she saw Ororo and Keri, when she saw you, and when she met up with Jean a little while ago. She never does it to normal people. And I would say that she and I tend to know what the other's saying, but that would crazy. So I won't say it."

Apparently, Sailor Chicks tired of their conversation, and scooted under a table that had a sheet draped over it, hiding it from view.

"What's under there?" Logan asked.

"Litter Box."

This sounded like a good time to change the subject, so Logan did. "Um…nice room ya got here," He pointed out, looking around. It was a bit cluttered, but not messy.

"Yea, it's good. Smaller than my apartment, but it gets the job done."

"So, you like the institute?"

"Yup. Everyone seems pretty nice."

Abruptly, Kitty stuck her poked her head in the room. "Hello! Just came to tell you it's lunch time!" Then she noticed that Shaina and Logan were sitting together. "Whoa, I'm not, like, interrupting anything, am I?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yea, right!" He stood up.

"Right-oh!" Said Shaina. "Let's eat! I'm starvin'!"

***

When Shaina arrived back at her room after lunch, she found what she assumed was her uniform: Off-black one-piece suit with what looked like a red tank-top built in, red and black boots, brown gloves with a brown strap around the wrist that white circles running around it, and a yellow belt with a red square in front that had a black X on it.

Eagerly, she tried it on and found that it fit perfectly. She looked at her reflection the large mirror on her dresser, and then opened up her closet to look at the full-length one that she had brought from her apartment.

"Cool!" She breathed. She thought for a second, and then gathered her hair up in a ponytail with her hand. She turned to Sailor Chicks, who was looking at her with interest. "Hair up or down."

"Meow."

Shaina dropped her hair.

"Meow."

Shaina gathered it up again. "You're right: up it is."

Shaina then heard a knock on the door.

"Just a sec!" Shaina called, and quickly changed back in to her green sweater and loose jeans. Then, she opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Shaina," Greeted Professor X.

"Hello," Shaina replied.

"Have you tried on your uniform?"

"Oh, yea! It's great! Fits well, too. Hey, how did you all know my sizes?"

The Professor smiled. "Did you forget that I'm telepathic?"

Shaina was quiet for a second, and then said, "I guess I did!"

At that moment, Logan walked past them. He noticed Shaina's uniform laying on her bed and walked up to her. "Hey, what does _your _uniform look like?"

Shaina looked up at him. "It's a secret."

"Oh, come on!" He said.

She stuck her tongue out. "No!"

Professor X smiled. "Ah, Logan. I was just looking for you."

Logan looked down at him. "Huh?"

"I need you to show Shaina the ropes. If she's going to be teaching here, she'll need to know about Cerebro, the danger room, and the vehicles."

"Yea, yea…" Sighed Logan. "Well, come on." He began to walk away.

"You already said that," Shaina piped up, but she followed him anyway.

***

"…The Professor is the only one with the mind power to work Cerebro, although he's teachin' Jean to work it, too." And, as they stepped away from Cerebro, Logan announced, "And that concludes our tour. Watch your step, and be sure to stop by the gift shop. Thank you for not smoking."

Shaina rolled her eyes. "Nice. You should get a job at Disney Land, giving tours. And in your Spare time, you can beat up Chip and/or Dale."

It had been about an hour, and Logan had just finished showing Shaina around the institute. Although Logan had been a little reluctant, Shaina now knew quite a lot about her new home.

"And the schedule?" Shaina asked.

"What about it?" Replied Logan.

"What is it?"

"Oh! Uh, for meals: breakfast at 7:00, lunch on weekends is 12:00 Noon, dinner at 6:30. If you're late to a meal, ya do the dishes. The kitchen is open for in-between meal snacks, help yourself as long as ya don't hog it and don't make a mess. Training sessions aren't really scheduled or anything, but you'll know when there's one to go to. There's a chore-chart that's updated weekly, make sure you know what you're supposed to do."

Shaina blinked. "OK…"

"Did ya get that?"

"Yea…And if didn't, I'm sure I will later."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Whatever floats your boat."

"Hey, Rogue told me you all had code-names."

"Oh, yea. Just names that we use during missions. Mine's—"

Shaina cut in. "—'Wolverine'. I heard. Keri also tells me that sometimes, she calls you…'Badger'…" She grinned.

Logan felt his face grow a bit hot. "Alright, so ya know _my _name. If I can't see your suit, then let me hear _your_ name…That is, if you've _got _one yet."

Shaina was quiet for a second, and then she said, "My name…is Splinter."

"What?"

"Splinter. That's my name. The word 'Splinter' can mean 'crack' or 'break', which is what I do. So, that's what I'll call myself."

"Splinter, huh?" He rubbed his chin, a gave her a smile. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"I'm glad I have your approval…Badger!"

***

"You gotta!" Insisted Keri.

"No," Answered Rogue.

"You gotta!"

"No."

"You gotta!"

"No."

"You gotta!"

"No."

"You gotta!"

"No."

"You gotta!"

"NO."

"You gotta!"

"NO!"

"You gotta!"

"**_NO!_** Doncha _ever_ get tired of this?!" Rogue snapped.

Keri blinked. "Hello? I'm eight! This is what I _do_!"

"Anyway, wah should ah?"

"Hello? Shaina's moved in! And she's gonna be a teacher! Meaning, she's going to be spending a lot of time with Logan!"

"So? There just friends!"

"Hello! That's the way it usually starts out! Then, they start spending time together! Then they find that they have a bunch in common! And that's when they…"

"Keri, does Logan seem like that kinda guy that would _do _that? You know what his feelins' on love are."

"Hello! He—"

"_Runt, if you say, 'hello' one more time…!"_

"Um…Ding-Dong! A lot men are like that! And then, they meet up with a dream girl who'll melt their heart! Rogue, don't you want that dream girl to be—"

"Men? Dream girl? Like, what are you two talking about?" Kitty chirped as she walked in to the room that she shared with Rogue, which was where Rogue and Keri were having their strange conversation.

"Nothin'." Rogue replied, turning back to the book she had been reading before Keri had rushed in to the room and started rambling.

Kitty sighed, and sat down on her bed next to Keri. "So, you know Shaina?"

"Oh, yea! She's the gym teacher at my school! She's really cool: she let's us decide what we want to play every other Friday, and she let's us listen to cool music during class. She can be a bit sarcastic at times, though. Oh, and she used to be a professional gymnast! She was the one who got me in to the Gymnastics League!"

"Hmmm…Interesting…And from all of this information, do you think she'd be, like, a good match for Logan?"

"ARG!" Rogue groaned. She picked up her book, and stomped out. Abruptly, she bumped in to Logan.

"'Skuse me, darlin'." He said.

Rogue glared at him. "Wah does everyone keep bumpin' in to me?!"

Logan blinked. "Uh, sorry?"

Rogue sighed. "No, ah'm sorry. Ah've just got a to think about."

As she walked away, she caught a glimpse of Logan looking at her with a look of confusion…and maybe a bit of concern…


	6. Trial by Capture the Flag

Chapter Six:

Trial By Capture the Flag

__

January 15

"…So, then Rogue stormed out," Keri explained. "And then she bumped in to Logan. She got snappy with him at first, and then she got all sad and walked away. Logan looked kinda confused, though I think she upset him."

It was Monday, and Keri was in gym class. She was talking to her best friend Miki while the class watched a stupid movie about some bubbly girls who went to military school. No one really liked it, but since it was in the curriculum, they had to watch it. Luckily, Shaina was understanding and didn't care if the children talked during the movie. 

Miki looked at her. "So, Miss Hope's living with you all now?"

Keri looked at her. "Focus, Miki."

Miki sighed. "I'm sorry, Keri, I just can't picture her as a mutant!"

"Shhh!" Keri hissed, pressing her hand over Miki's mouth.

Miki looked at her. "Um, Keri? We're three feet away from everyone else!" This was true. Keri had pulled her away to have their conversation, mainly because of the thing that Keri and Shaina had in common: No one knew they were mutants.

It was Keri's turn to sigh. "True. But…you know, just in case!"

Miki nodded. "Right…So, everyone thinks that Miss Hope and Logan are going to get together?"

Keri nodded. "Rogue says she doesn't believe it, but I think she really does. So I keep telling her that she has to—"

They were suddenly interrupted by Shaina. "Keri and Miki! You don't have to actually watch the movie, but could you at least pretend you are? Just in case the Principal comes in here?"

"Yes, Miss Hope!" The two chimed, and hurried over towards the TV, signaling the end of their conversation.

In the movie, the three girls had to play capture the flag. This was hard, because they didn't want to get muddy and were wearing high-heeled boots. Plus, the course was laced with booby traps.

Keri looked at Shaina, and noticed that she had a look on her face that showed that she was getting an idea.

Keri groaned, and looked at her shoes. Something told her that a training exercise in her near future would include Capture the Flag.

At least _she _didn't wear high-heals.

***

"Capture the Flag…Intriguing," Professor X commented when Shaina told him her idea. "Continue, please."

Shaina nodded. "Well, I was thinking…we have the kids pull cards out of a bag, and that'll tell which team they're on. We could either play the game in the Danger Room, one of the many underground rooms you all have, or we could take a field trip out to the woods. And then, we just play the game, the kids using their powers to their advantage…but I suppose we'll have to set individual rules for some of them."

"For example?" Asked Ororo, who was listening in on this as well as Logan.

"Well…you know…Kurt can't teleport straight from his team's side to the flag, Keri can only be invisible, say, every other minute. Anyway, as well as the kids playing against each other's powers, I'm sure Logan and Mr. McCoy could whip up some…'obstacles'."

Logan smiled. "I like the sound of _that_."

"As do I," Said Professor X. "That sounds like a great idea."

Suddenly, Keri burst in to the room through the wall. "SHAINA!" She yelled. She noticed the Professor, Logan, and Ororo. "Whoops…I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

The Professor sighed. "Actually, yes, but—"

"Sorry, but Shaina, _you have to see this_!" Keri cut in. She grabbed Shaina's hand and ran off towards the living room, passing through every wall and solid object in their way.

"Keri, are we there yet?" Shaina groaned. She was staring to feel sick.

"Almost!" Keri answered. Finally, they made it to the living room. Dramatically, she pointed to the couch. "Look!"

There, on the couch, were Keri's pet rabbit, Mr. B, and Sailor Chicks. But that wasn't the reason that Keri was showing this to Shaina: it was the fact that Mr. B had draped himself across Sailor Chicks, so their bodies formed a perpendicular angle. But the strangest thing was that Sailor Chicks didn't seem to a problem with this: in fact, she was actually purring.

"Can you believe it?" Keri asked excitedly. "I've heard of rabbits and cats becoming friends, but only because they grew up together! Sailor Chicks and Mr. B are complete strangers! And to top it off, Mr. B's usually really skittish!"

Shaina sighed and shook her head. "Yea, Sailor Chicks has that effect on people and animals…" She sat down next to her cat. "Looks like you've made a friend, huh?"

"Meow," Was Sailor Chicks response.

"So, how are you doing?" Shaina asked.

Everyone who was in the room (Shaina, Keri, Jean, and Kurt) at time could swear that Sailor Chicks gave Shaina the same look that you give someone when you're tired but content before she said, "Meow."

Shaina looked surprised. "Really?" She was suddenly aware that everyone was staring at her. She turned to Sailor Chicks and said, "Ya know, maybe we ought to talk a bit later." Looking a bit embarrassed, she hurried off back towards where Professor X, Ororo, and Logan were.

The Professor grinned when he saw her. "Don't worry, Shaina. A _lot _of pet owners talk to their animals!"

Shaina glared at him, but didn't say anything.

***

That evening, after dinner, Shaina flopped down on her bed, next to Sailor Chicks. "So, what were we discussing earlier?"

"Meow."

"Oh…well, how are you doing? I mean, how close are you?"

There was a pause, and then Sailor Chicks answered. "Meow."

"Really? That close? Well, when they're ready, they're ready. Where do you want to have them? I can clear out a drawer for you."

"Mmmm?"

"No, it's no trouble. Are you going to need any help?"

"Reow."

"OK. But don't hesitate to ask if you do."

"People'll are gonna think you're weird if ya keep havin' elaborate conversations with cats," Logan commented as he walked in to the room.

Shaina made a face. "I only talk to Sailor Chicks. Besides, people already think I'm weird, so I don't need to worry about that."

Sailor Chicks actually rolled her eyes, and trotted out of the room.

"Oh, don't be like that!" Shaina groaned. She turned to Logan and sighed. "Being pregnant is making her irritable."

It took Logan a minute to remember that Sailor Chicks was expecting kittens. "Oh…"

"Well, did you come to bug me for a reason, or did you just miss the melodious sound of my voice?" She asked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Yea, right…Professor X told me to tell you that we're doin' the Capture the Flag thing tomorrow at 4:00."

"A.M. or P.M.?"

"P.M.."

"OK. Just one question?"

"Yea?"

"Why didn't Professor X tell me himself?"

"Ya think _I _know? Good-night," Logan said simply. Then, he walked out of the room.

Shaina got up and watched him. When about halfway down the hallway, she snapped, "Ya know, I hate it when people answer questions with questions!"

Logan turned and looked at her. "Really?" He said, not sounding interested.

"Didn't you know?" Shaina questioned, walking up to him.

"Have you mentioned it before?" Logan countered.

Shaina smirked. "I dunno, did I?"

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Are you startin' that stupid game where you take turns askin' each other questions and ya lose if ya make a statement?"

"What do you think?"

Logan thought for a second, and answered, "Would ya keep doin' no matter what my answer is?"

"Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"I think the better question is, 'are you as good at this game as ya are at pool?'"

"What do you think?"

"Do I really need to waste my time doin' this?"

"Do you have anything better to do?"

"What difference would it make?"

"Isn't that a dumb question?"

"Are dumb questions allowed in this game?"

"So, you've acknowledged that we're playing a game?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Doesn't it depend on what you constitute as a game?" As she spoke, Shaina scratched her arm.

"Do you have an itch?"

"Isn't that kind of off-topic?"

"Do ya think it is?"

Shaina paused for a few seconds, and then groaned. "Ah, I give up. You win. I could never win at that game. Good-night." She walked back to her room, shutting her door.

Logan smirked. If she could beat him at pool, at least _he_ could beat her at that game…whatever it was called.

He turned and walked about two steps before colliding in to something. Out of reflex, he ejected his claws, but then he realized that it was only Keri, invisible. "Imp!" He snarled. "Were you spyin' on us?!"

Keri became visible, looked at her shoes, and then questioned, "Do you think I was?!" Then, she turned and ran through the wall, leaving Logan behind.

***

__

January 16

"Shaina, 'guess where we're going' is rhetorical! We've been guessing for the past 20 minutes!" Scott complained.

Shaina turned around and looked at him. "Alright, quitter!" She said, feigning annoyance. "We'll be there in a few minutes, and you'll find out!"

It was 3:45 P.M., and the group had all crammed in to the X-Van and were currently driving to medium-sized forest just outside of Bayville. It was almost time for their game of Capture the Flag. However, no one had any clue what was coming up…except for Keri.

"I think I know what we're doing," Keri sighed.

Scott leaned down close to her. "You _do_?"

Keri nodded. "Yea, and if I'm right, I'm sure glad I'm not wearing high-heels!" She looked up and shared a private smile with Shaina.

About 10 minutes later, the van stopped. "Out!" Logan commanded.

Everyone got out of the van, chattering and stretching. The four teachers then led the students a little way in to the woods, until they came to a part that had a wide, dirt trail running through it. On either side of the trail were untamed woods.

The four teachers stood before them. Shaina clapped her hands. "Alright, here's the 'sich: we're gonna play capture the flag."

The group murmured in interest, while Keri shouted triumphantly, "I _knew_ it!"

"Yea, Okay…" Shaina pulled a small bag out from the X-Van. There are 10 cards in here. Five of them are red, five of them are blue. Draw a card, and that shows which team you're on."

So they all did. On the red team were Jean, Keri, Bobby, Jamie, and Roberto. On the blue team were Scott, Rogue, Kurt, Amara, and Kitty.

Shaina looked around. "Hey, where are the other two?"

Ororo looked at her. "Other two?"

"Yea, the one with long blonde hair, and the other with the orange bangs?"

"Sam and Ray?" Asked Rogue.

"Yea, them!"

"They've got detention."

Beast looked at her. "I can see Ray in detention, but Sam?"

Rogue shrugged. "Probably just a 'wrong place at the wrong time' thing."

Logan cleared his throat. "Can we please get to the game?"

"Keep your shirt on, Logan!" Shaina commanded. "I still gotta explain the rules: Each team has five minutes to hide their flag on their side. The boundaries for each side are marked off by ropes. Your flag must be hidden in plain sight, and visible at three angles. The jail is the roped off triangle on each side. You're allowed a jail guard, but not a flag guard. Since there are only five people on each team, you may want to make strategy, bearing in mind your strengths and weaknesses. Now, go hide your flags, and come back for further briefing." With that, she handed each team a scarf. "Oh, this is your flag, FYI."

As the two teams headed off on their opposite sides, Beast commented, "Well, you're quite thorough."

"Uh-huh," Shaina responded. "By-the-way, when did you all set this up?"

"While you were at work," Logan answered.

"Oh…" Shaina felt a bit embarrassed for not helping set the course up. After all, it had been _her _idea to do this.

A couple of minutes later, the two teams returned.

Shaina nodded "OK, good. Now, you all know the basic rules of Capture the Flag, right?" Seeing that the answer was yes, she continued: "Now, here are some individual rules: Keri, you can go through as many objects as you want, but you can only be invisible for every other minute."

Keri nodded. "'K."

"And Kurt, no teleporting straight from your team's side to the other team's flag. Jamie, if one of your multiples gets tagged out, then _you're _out. Does everyone understand?"

When everyone was sure of what they were doing, Shaina told them to get on their respective sides. "If you need us, then just scream hysterically. Alright…GAME ON!"

As soon as all of the students had disappeared from sight, the teacher's waited five seconds.

"Are they gone?" Asked Beast.

"I think so," Answered Logan. "Time to get out the heavy artillery." All of the instructors headed over to the X-Van, where they pulled open the hatch to reveal: An industrial sized bag of maple syrup, a large bag of white feathers, and a bag of water balloons.

Logan fingered the bag of maple syrup. "Ya know, the lasers and giant saws are nice, but sometimes ya gotta get 'em where it hurts. I have a feelin' lot a lot of us aren't gonna survive it if Red gets this stuff in her hair."

Ororo rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say…"

Shaina smirked. "This is gonna be sweet…Let's move out!"

***

Meanwhile, Jean, who was the unofficial captain of the Red team, was thinking up a strategy.

"First off, we need a jail guard. We can switch off after a while, but we a need a volunteer for now."

Jamie raised his hand. "I'll do it. I hate to admit it, but I'm real vulnerable on the other side, and real useful here."

Jean clapped. "Great! Now, we need a strategy. I think we'd best off try to find the other team's flag. Dark Elf?"

Keri nodded. "I'm on it!"

Jean nodded. The rest of us'll stay behind for now. Find that flag, Dark Elf! And…if you're not back in 10 minutes, we'll assume you've been captured, and we'll storm their base."

"Aye-Aye!" Keri chirped, and scurried towards the path. In the distance, off on the hill, she thought she saw Amara running towards the boundary line.

She took a deep breath, walked to the very end of the path (where the neutral territory ended), and went invisible. Then, she started sprinting, knowing that she only had a minute of invisibility. She figured that she would explore for her minute of invisibility on the ground, then climb a tree and try her luck there.

As she was running in enemy territory, she came face-to-face with Scott, who apparently was patrolling the area. Since she didn't have enough distance to stop, she just phased through him.

Then, disaster struck. Scott stopped, and looked around. "Dark Elf!" He snapped. "I know you're out here!"

_Curses! _Keri thought. She had phased through Scot so many times he knew what it felt like…so, he knew that she was in the area.

He swung his arm around, and hit her in the back of the head. "AHA!" He said triumphantly. He aimed a "stun" optic blast at her, just barely grazing her cheek.

Keri's watch beeped, signaling the end of her minute. She grudgingly became visible again. She turned to Scott, sighed and said, "…CATCH ME IF YA CAN, YA ONE-EYED VARMINT!" She began running as fast as she could, swerving randomly, Scott firing laser blasts at her all the way. However, after chasing her for a solid 10 seconds, Scott let out a "WHOA!" And his lasers stopped. Keri dared to turn around and see why.

Apparently, there had been a pit in the ground, covered by grass and leaves. Keri had avoided it, but Scott, who had been running in a straight line, had fallen right in to it. She walked over to it, and poked her head inside. "No worries, Cyclops!" She said cheerfully. I'm sure someone'll come for you…eventually!" She jerked her head back out, narrowly missing the blast he had fired at her. Grinning, she walked away, eagerly continuing her search.

***

Meanwhile, Shaina and Ororo had been watching this whole ordeal from up in the trees.

Shaina smiled and shook her head. "I _knew _Keri— I mean, Dark Elf —was gonna get out of that ordeal! But a pit…A bit cliché, but still quite effective. What are your thoughts?" She asked Ororo.

Ororo turned to her. "That we should be working on the next obstacle."

Shaina nodded. "Yes, quite so. What's next? A brigade of water balloons, or a typhoon? Or perhaps maple syrup?"

"The maple syrup is reserved for the grand finale, and that's teamed up with feathers. Shall we contact the boys?"

Shaina nodded, and pulled out a walkie-talkie. She pressed the button, and said in to it, "Splinter to Badger. Do you copy? Over."

She waited a second, and then Logan's voice said, "Roger. This is WOLVERINE, not 'Badger', by-the-way. Over."

"Right. Have you pulled anything yet? Over."

"Roger. Beast an' I've released the water balloons. Sunspot is unhappy, repeat, Sunspot is unhappy. And Iceman has fallen in to the pit, only to be rescued by Multiple. He was given a lecture by Jean for leaving his post. Magma is in jail. Over."

"Roger that! Looks like Storm and I have some water balloons to issue. Over and out." Shaina grinned and turned to Ororo. Good news: It's water balloon time!"

***

Meanwhile, Keri was still hunting for the enemy flag. "Come on…" She hissed. "You've gotta be around here somewhere…!"

She was just about to give up and go back when something blue caught her eye. Grinning, she walked over to it, and saw that it was the blue team's flag, folded on a tree stump. She thought for a minute. _Shouldn't she just grab it now? _It would save a lot of time and effort…Yes, in fact, she decided to pick it up right then and there.

"Having fun?" Said a familiar voice.

Keri turned, and her jaw dropped. The entire blue team had ambushed her. Shw did a head count. "Where's Magma?" She asked.

"In Jail," Kitty answered shortly.

The entire team lunged at her at once. "YEEK!" Keri screeched, phasing through as many as she could._ Curse that every-other minute invisibility rule!_ Keri thought. It was at least another 30 seconds until she could become invisible again! Her only hope was that she could—

_Tap_.

Keri felt a three-fingered hand tap her shoulder. "You're out!" Kurt said triumphantly.

Keri sighed, and put her hands in to the air. "Put me in to the brig, mon capiton!" She announced.

Rogue (who apparently was jail-guard) led her to the jail, which also held Roberto. "You two, huh?" She commented, sitting down next to him. She noticed that he was wet.

"Yea…Jean sent me to go find you, and Kitty snuck up on me."

Keri nodded, and then, when she was sure Rogue wasn't looking, she leaned in and whispered, "I know where the flag is!"

He looked at her. "You do?"

"Yea! It's not to far from—"

Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of water balloons hitting the ground and people, and screeches.

"What the…?!" Rogue spat.

Roberto sighed. "Ah, water balloons. Those got me, too."

"Water balloons?" Keri thought out loud. "I think that maybe the teachers are playing pranks on us."

"Better than Logan firing lasers at us." Roberto replied.

The two sat in silence for a minute. Then, Roberto broke it. "Do you seriously think Logan and Shaina are dating?"

"SHADDUP!" Rogue snapped suddenly. "NO TALKIN' IN JAIL!"

Roberto's eyes widened. He leaned in and whispered, "What's _her _problem all the sudden?"

"I can't imagine," Keri lied, looking at Rogue with concern.

***

Shaina yawned. "I'm starting to get bored."

Ororo looked at her. "It probably won't be much longer."

"By-the-way, how cold is?" Shaina asked. Her face and neck were chilly, but the rest of her body was warm in her suit.

"About 40°," Ororo answered.

"40°, huh? A bit warm for January…" Suddenly, Shaina's eyes shot open. "Hold on…we dumped water balloons on people in 40° weather?!"

"They'll be fine," Ororo brushed it off. "Their suits should keep them warm."

Suddenly, the two heard shouting coming from below them. They turned and saw Scott being helped out of another pit by Kitty.

Shaina giggled. "Is that his third pit or fourth pit?"

"Fourth."

Suddenly, Beast's voice sounded over the walkie-talkie. "Beast to Splinter. Do you copy? Over."

Shaina picked it up. "I read you loud and clear. Over."

"The red team is storming the blue team! I repeat, the red team is storming the blue team! Over."

"Roger that. Shall we ready the grand finale? Over."

"Yes. Meet us on the path. Over and out."

Shaina shut it off and put it away. "Finale time!"

Ororo nodded. "Let's go."

***

Rogue was watching Roberto and Keri, when she saw Bobby, in his frozen version, watching them from. Smirking, she strolled over so she he was about six feet in front of her. Then, she charged at him and tackled him. "Yer out, Iceman!" She crowed.

Then, she realized that it wasn't Bobby: just an ice sculpture of him.

"Pretty good likeness, eh Rogue?" Bobby jeered at her from behind.

Rogue turned. "Oh, crap!" For while she was tackling the fake Bobby, the real Bobby and Jean had come and rescued Roberto and Keri, and were leading them back to the red team's side. The rules said that since they were bringing back teammates, they couldn't be tagged.

Rogue watched them go. Abruptly, she noticed Logan standing there, chuckling.

"Nice goin', kid," He said, shaking his head and grinning.

"Shaddup," Rogue growled.

He shrugged. "Ah, what am I sayin'? Bobby did a great job, he's really gettin' good at makin' those copies of himself."

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Badger?!" Rogue said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't _you_ start that. Keri and Shaina do it enough. But yea, I _do _have somewhere to be." He strolled about four feet, and then suddenly stopped. "Do you have shampoo back at the institute? Jean may need to borrow it…"

Rogue looked at him oddly. _"What?"_

"Oh, nothing," He said, smirking. Then, he walked away, disappearing from sight.

Rogue watched him go, and then smiled, though a bit confused.

***

When Keri, Roberto, Bobby, and Jean had made it back to their side, they immediately began forming another plan.

Jean looked at Keri. "Dark Elf, do you know where the blue flag is?"

Keri nodded. "Oh, yea! Look, I bet we can win if you let me get the flag, and you all cover me."

Jean thought for a minute. "That could work…"

So, they formed a plan, and got poised and ready at the end of the path, Keri in the lead. "Everybody ready?" She asked.

Jean lifted herself in to the air, Bobby turned his entire body in to ice, and Roberto went in to his "super-human" mode. "Ready!" They replied.

Keri nodded, took a deep breath, and called, "DA-DA-DA-DA-DADA! CHARGE!"

As they ran in to enemy territory, Bobby muttered, "You didn't really have to do that…"

"Nonsense, of course I did!" Keri brushed him off. Then, she got serious. "OK, follow me to the flag!"

"We're right behind ya, Dark Elf!" Jean replied.

The hadn't gone far when they ran directly in to Scott. He immediately open-fired at them. However, Jean took care of that problem by simply lifting him up with her power, and setting him up on a tree branch, 15 feet from the ground.

Scott's eyes widened. "Jean…that's not funny!"

Jean smiled. "Don't worry, Scott! I'll come back for you after we've won." The red team then continued on, while Scott called for Kurt to come and help him.

"Cyclops is up a tree, Rogue is the Jail Guard, and last time I checked, Magma was in jail. So that just leaves Nightcrawler and Shadowcat," Roberto counted off.

"Darn…those two'll be hard, especially Nightcrawler!" Bobby commented.

"Oh, thanks!" Kitty said sarcastically as she stepped out in front of them.

Abruptly, Bobby stepped out and froze an igloo around Kitty.

Keri looked at him. "Yea, only here's the problem: Shadowcat can go through solid objects."

Sure enough, just as she spoke, Kitty began phasing through the ice. However, Bobby just kept coating more on in all directions. He turned to Jean, Roberto and Keri. "Ya know, this could take a while. Why don't you all go ahead?"

So they did. They continued on, until they came to the stump that had the flag draped over it. "And, here we are!" Keri announced.

Jean picked it up. "Good work, Dark Elf!" She congratulated. "Now, all we need to do is get this over to our side!"

"End of ze line!" Kurt sneered as he stepped out. With that, he _BAMPH_ed over to Roberto.

"Crap!" He said in frustration. "This is the second time this game!"

Jean and Keri backed up against the wall. Jean handed the flag to Keri. "It's all up to you now!" She announced.

Keri looked at her. "Yea. I know what I have to do!"

"Good!" Jean pressed her hands to her temples, and Keri was suddenly lifted off the ground and hurled through the air.

**__**

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Keri screamed. She probably would have enjoyed the ride a bit better had she known that this was going to happen, or if she hadn't hit the dirt path when Jean's lift had run out. As you can guess, none of these to were present. She hit the ground, hard.

The four instructors were standing on the path, apparently waiting. Logan looked at her. "Where did _you _come from?"

Keri stood up and brushed herself off. "A red-haired psychic who panicked," She grumbled. Then, when she realized that she had the blue flag clutched tightly in her hand, she ran over to the red team's side. "HA! WE WIN!" She cried triumphantly.

Beast clapped. "Good job. Now, gather everyone out here."

Once everyone was out on the path, Shaina spoke: "Good job, everyone! You all did a great job. But the winners are…the red team!"

The blue team politely clapped. Keri turned to Jean. "Oh, by-the-way, when I said, 'I know what I have to do', I meant that I should turn invisible, and phase through objects as I run as fast as I can and hopefully make it back to our side."

Jean laughed nervously. "Oh…Uh, sorry…I guess I panicked a little bit…"

Keri rolled her eyes. "Yea…I kinda figured that."

Shaina cleared her throat. "ANYWAY, we have a special prize for the winners. I'd you'd all just follow me…" She strolled off in to the woods.

"I wonder what our prize is?" Bobby thought out loud.

"You'll soon find out," Shaina said innocently. She led them out to a certain spot. "Now, stay here." She then departed.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Keri admitted.

"Why? We won! The prize has _got _to be something good!" Said Jamie.

Without warning, a sticky, brown wave dropped on their heads. Then, the air was filled with white feathers, which stuck to them

Jamie dragged his finger in a spot on his uniform, smelled it, and then tasted it. "It's maple syrup!" He announced.

Jean's jaw dropped. "Maple syrup? _MAPLE SYRUP?!_"

"And feathers…we look like chickens," Bobby reminded her glumly.

_"I HAVE MAPLE SYRUP IN MY HAIR?!"_ Jean screeched.

Keri licked her arm. "Taste me; I'm delicious!" She squealed happily.

Bobby pulled a feather off of his elbow. "What gives?!" He demanded off the instructors, who, along with the blue team, were laughing hysterically at them.

Shaina shrugged. "I thought it would be funny," she said simply.

"I need…to take…a shower," moaned Jean. "So…sticky…"

"Quit being a baby, Jean…" Roberto sighed.

"Just get in the car," Said Beast, chuckling.

The car ride back was much different than the ride there: Instead of the students chattering to each other about where they were going and what they were doing, it was mostly the blue team giggling at the red team, Bobby and Roberto sulking, Jean moaning occasionally about her hair, and Keri seeing how many surfaces she could stick to.

"I claim the girl's shower first!" Jean announced.

"And I get the boy's shower first!" Roberto announced as well.

"What am _I_ supposed to do?!" Demanded Bobby.

"Jump in the pool?" Shaina suggested.

"No way, it's, like, 20° in there!" Kitty pointed out.

Ororo shrugged. "Then, in that case, just wait your turn."

Rogue dragged a finger down Jean's hair. "Yeesh. Yer gonna need alota shampoo…I've got some ya can borrow." She turned and smiled at Logan, who smiled back.

***

A little bit later, they had arrived back at the institute. It was a bit of an odd parade: The instructors in front; then the blue team, talking happily; then the red team; muttering about how "It didn't make sense to soak the winners"; and Keri, bringing up the rear, skipping, and saying happily, "How can one girl be so delicious?!"

Sam and Ray, who at home by now, watched them go by. "What happened to _you _guys?" Asked Ray.

"We played capture the flag! The winners got covered with maple syrup and feathers! Taste me; I'm delicious!" Keri explained as she walked over to them.

"Uh…I'll pass…" Ray replied.

Keri shrugged. "Your loss!" She walked off, licking her hand.

Shaina, who was watching her, sighed and rolled her eyes. "Keri Smith…One in a trillion…"

"You're right," Logan commented. Then, he looked genuinely surprised. "Wow, somethin' that you an' I see eye-to-eye on."

Shaina smiled. "_That's _one in million." Then, to Logan's obvious surprise, she leaned over, and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. Then, she departed.

Logan rubbed his cheek, a look of confusion on his face. But what he didn't realize was that Rogue had been watching them, and when she had seen that kiss, her eyes had narrowed in fury. She stalked up to her room, a sour look on her face.

Bobby passed her. "What are _you_ so angry about? You're not covered in maple syrup and feathers!"

Rogue ignored him, and walked in to her room and slammed the door. She flopped down on her bed, scowling at the ceiling. She had been wrong about Shaina. Even if they weren't dating, it was obvious that she had Shaina had a thing for Logan. There was no way that she and Rogue and Shaina could be friends.

That kiss was what did it.

_This was war._


	7. The Origin of Splinter

Chapter Seven:

The Origin of Splinter

__

January 20

Saturday morning, Shaina woke up and found that she had kicked the blankets off of herself during the night. So, she was freezing.

She wrapped herself back up, and then looked at the clock. It was 8:40 AM. For a second, she panicked, thinking that she had overslept; but then she realized that it was Saturday, and she didn't have work. She tossed and turned for a few minutes, and then reluctantly got out of bed and dressed. She headed off to the kitchen for something to eat.

On her way there, she saw Keri, sitting in the living room. She had a bowl of cereal in her lap, and was watching _Yu-Gi-Oh _attentively. As one of the characters made a funny face, Keri laughed, and then noticed Shaina. "Hello!" She greeted. "Would you like watch _Yu-Gi-Oh _with me?"

Shaina smiled. "I'll pass." She continued on to the kitchen, where he found Rogue, eating a bagel. The small TV in the kitchen was playing the news, which immediately turned to a commercial break. Shaina got herself a banana, and sat down a couple of seats away from her. There was a pause, and then Shaina said, "Good Morning."

"Mornin'," Rogue said, without taking her eyes off of the TV.

Shaina turned to see what Rogue was watching so attentively, and found that she was just watching a cat food commercial.

_So, she's still ignoring me_, Shaina thought glumly. Well, that was incorrect. Rogue was still talking to her, so she wasn't being ignored. But it was just that ever since that game of capture the flag, Shaina had gotten the feeling that Rogue felt that talking to her was annoying, and therefore, should be avoided, or kept as short as possible. And the worse thing was that Shaina didn't know why Rogue was acting this way.

Trying to make conversation, Shaina joked, "So, is that your natural hair color?"

Rogue glared at her, as if she had been insulted. "Yea, Ah'm part skunk!" She snapped sarcastically.

Shaina was about to explain that she hadn't meant it to be an insult, but they were all interrupted by Keri, who phased through the wall, looking cross. She stormed over to the counter, and slammed her bowl down in the sink. She swished water around in it, and shoved it in to the dishwasher. Then, she turned to the surprised Rogue and Shaina. "Four commercial breaks in one 30-minute show! Honestly, what's _Kid'sWB_'s problem?!" She stormed out and flopped down on the couch.

Shaina looked at Rogue. "Uh, I didn't mean it that way…"

Rogue ignored her, finished her bagel, and licked the cream-cheese off of her fingers.

Sailor Chicks wandered in, looking around with interest.

Shaina looked down at her. "I know what you're doing, and the answer is no. This is the busiest room in the institute. You're better off having them on the couch in the living room."

"Meow?"

"The laundry room? I dunno…"

Rogue give a half-sigh, half groan.

Shaina turned to Rogue, her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" She asked coolly.

"No, _MA'AM_," Rogue replied, putting an extremely large amount of emphasis on the second word, so Shaina could actually see in slow-motion the necessary lip and tongue motions. "In _fact_," (More extreme emphasis), "Ah think Ah'll jus' leave, so you can continue yer _conversation _with yer _cat_." She got up off her chair, and stalked out of the room.

She passed Logan, who had made it to the doorway and turned sideways to let her through. He watched her go, a look of surprise on his face. "What was _that _all about?" He asked Shaina.

Shaina sighed, and looked at her half-eaten banana. "I honestly have no idea," She admitted.

***

Later that day, after lunch, Logan approached Rogue. "Hey, kid, what's goin' on with you and Shaina?"

Rogue looked at him. "Whaddya mean?" She asked, though she sounded as though she knew exactly what he meant.

"I mean, it seems like you've been at her throat since last Tuesday. Are you OK?"

"Ah seriously don't know what you're talkin' about," Rogue replied, with the same sound in her voice.

Logan groaned. "You've been talkin' to her funny, like you're mad at her or somethin'. The Professor's noticed, too. Are you two havin' an argument or somethin'?"

Rogue sighed. "It's kinda like that…it's just…it's a girl thing."

Keri popped up. "You got P.M.S.?"

Rogue's eyes shot open, and she cringed. "No…ah…don't…have…P.M.S.," She moaned, embarrassed. She turned to Logan. "Look, ah gotta go. Ah'll talk to ya later."

Logan nodded. "And, can ya at least _try _to be more civil to Shaina?"

"Yea, yea…" Rogue replied, walking off.

Keri watched her go, and then looked up at Logan. "Do you even know what P.M.S. is?"

Logan pretended that he hadn't heard her.

***

"I talked to Rogue, and she sounded like she didn't know what I was talkin' about." Logan notified Shaina.

Logan had caught up to her in the kitchen, as she was eating a snack. He had just finished telling her about his "discussion" with Rogue.

Shaina sighed. "I'm completely stumped. Why has she suddenly decided that she doesn't like me?"

"Rogue's really not the easiest person to get close to. Does it particularly _bother _ya that she doesn't like you? Ya seem to be pretty popular around the institute."

Shaina looked down at the counter. "Well, it's not that she doesn't like me. It's that I don't know _why _she doesn't like me."

Keri skipped in to the room. "Hey, Shaina! Professor wants to see you!" She leaned over and whispered, "I think it's got something to do with Rogue."

Shaina's eyes lit up. "Of course! If she won't tell me why she hates me, maybe the Professor can tell me for her!" She stood up and walked out towards the Professor's office, and Logan followed.

When they arrived, the Professor was waiting for them. "Hello, Shaina. And Logan."

"Keri told me that you wanted to see me." Shaina clarified.

The Professor nodded. "Yes, that's correct. I need to discuss something with you…" He turned to Logan. "…_Privately_."

"I gotcha, Charles," Logan sighed as he walked out of the room.

When Logan had fully departed, the Professor turned his attention back to Shaina. "As I was saying, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Shaina shrugged. "If it's about me and Rogue, I honestly don't know why she doesn't like me."

The Professor nodded. "It's got something to do with that. But there's something more to it. You see, when new students or faculty come to the institute, I usually do a background check on them. Since we've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to do one on you."

Shaina examined a loose thread on her shirt sleeve. "When you say, 'background check,' you really mean, 'read my mind', right?"

The Professor nodded. "Right. It's completely harmless, we're just going to check things like when you discovered your power, if your power can be dangerous, and just to make sure that you're not under the influence of a-third party. Now, I'll make you a deal: if you let me run a background check, I'll see what the problem is with Rogue."

She considered this proposal. "Is this gonna hurt?" She asked.

"Not physically."

"That's nice. I dunno, it seems weird that someone's gonna be looking around in my head…"

"I won't pry. I'm just going to take a quick look. I'll only take a thorough look at memories that stick out the most, which will be what I told you I'll be looking for."

Shaina took a deep breath. "You're gonna be the only one to see, right? And no one's gonna know??"

"Not unless I feel it is absolutely necessary."

Shaina shrugged. "Alright. I guess so."

"Good. Sit down." When Shaina obeyed, he wheeled over, and held his hands to her temples. "Now, just relax…"

Then, a very peculiar feeling spread over Shaina: as if inside of her head, a movie was playing, and she was the star. She began to see things that she remembered faintly, like Christmas at a young age, and playing with a black cat that belonged to her family. And then there things she remembered more vividly, like winning a gymnastics tournament, being hired at Bayville Elementary, and adopting Sailor Chicks.

But some of them stuck out the most, and that's what the Professor looked at:

It was 14 years ago, and Shaina was late for class. She ran down the hallways of her junior high school, towards her chemistry class. Finally, she made it and burst in to the room. "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Sango!" She breathed. "My locker jammed, and I had to hit a few times before it would open!"

A stern-looking teacher turned to her. ""I'm not in the mood for your elaborate excuses, Hope. Now, sit down."

Feeling glum, she sat down at a table, next to a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and green eyes. "Hi, Shaina," The girl greeted.

"Hey, Kayla," Shaina sighed. "Wow, late three days this month. Looks like I'm going for record."

Kayla smiled. "Don't worry about it. What's Sango gonna do, give you detention?"

Mr. Sango cleared his throat. "Today, we're going to be doing a practical experiment with partners. Here are the partners:…" He went on rattling off pairs of names, until he came to, "Hope and Doydle."

A girl who had fluffy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a lot of make-up on jumped up. "Sir! Can't I please work with Joey?! Please?!" She gestured over to a boy sitting next to her.

"And I'd kinda prefer to work with Kayla," Shaina ventured.

The teacher glared at them. "NO! Now, get with your partners!"

Shaina and the girl sat down at a table, and got their stuff out…at least, Shaina did. The girl got out a bottle of pink nail polish. "So, I hear Daren dumped you," She said casually.

Shaina, who was measuring out acid, glared at her through her goggles. "No, Stacey, we both decided that it was over."

"That's not what I what I heard," Stacey chirped, focusing her attention on painting her nails.

"Well, then you heard wrong."

"I'm sure."

Shaina narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me, but we have work to do."

"Touchy, touchy. Did you know he's going out with _me_ now?"

_"What?"_ Shaina hissed.

Stacey smirked. "You heard me. He's going out with me now."

"Why? You blackmailing him?" Shaina growled, holding the test-tube of acid by its lip.

"News flash, Hope, guys don't go for 'plain-Janes'. They like make-up and perms. You understand, don't you?" She gave a short laugh, and then said, "Oh, wait. No, you don't."

Shaina fondled the two reddish-brown pigtails on the top of her head. "You should, though. Considering _you _go through three boyfriends a month."

Stacey looked at her for a while, and then said, "Anyway, get to work on this thing, will you? If you're not good with guys, then perhaps you're good at chemistry."

"Why do _I _have to do all the work?" Shaina demanded.

"Hello!" Stacey held up her hand, which sported perfect, pink nails. "I've gotta look good for Darren! We're going to see a movie tonight…what was it? Oh, yes: _Peach Basket_.

That was what got Shaina. She had been waiting for weeks to see that movie, and Darren had _promised _that they would see it together, despite the fact that it was a 'chick-flick'. In fact, if they hadn't have broken up, then they would've gone to see it tonight.

Shaina was filled with a mixture of rage, jealousy, and sadness. She was giving Stacey a look of pure hatred, but had she been looking at the test-tube, she would have seen the long, jagged cracks spreading over it. It soon got her attention by shattering and spilling acid all over the table.

Stacey let out a shriek, and Shaina just stood there, dumb struck.

The class was immediately filled with voices:

"What happened?"

"Did she drop it?"

"No, she's still holding the lip of it!"

"Then what happened?"

"Maybe it leaked?"

"Are they alright?"

"LOOK AT THE TABLE!"

Shaina obeyed that last command, and saw that the acid was burning a hole straight through the table, with the kids "oohing" and "ahhing". Stacey was whining about how scared she had been.

Mr. Sango rushed over. "Are you two alright?" He noticed the piece of the test-tube that Shaina hand in her hand. "It probably had cracks in it, and the acid broke through it."

Shaina was about to say something, but then she felt something burning her wrist. She looked down and saw that the acid had burned through her lab coat, through her shirt sleeve, and was faintly on her wrist.

Mr. Sango noticed, too. "Oh, Hope, you've got it on your wrist! Go flush it with water!" He pointed to a sink in the classroom.

Glad to get away from the crowd, Shaina walked to it, and using her non-burned hand, turned on the faucet. As soon as her skin came in contact with the metal, it began to crack and split. Feeling scared, she rubbed her wrist under the water until it stopped hurting. When she put her hand back on the tap, she had barely managed to turn off the water when it became so cracked it broke off in her hand.

Mr. Sango walked over. "Has it stopped hurting?"

Shaina nodded.

"Oh, but you've got a red mark! Go see the nurse." It was then that he noticed the broken tap. He looked at her. "What happened?"

"I…don't know," Shaina moaned, trying not to cry.

"First a faulty test-tube, then a broken tap. What's school playing at?" He asked no one in particular.

Shaina was on her way out the door, but then she stopped. She put her hand on the doorway and was about to ask if she should take her things with her, but then she saw cracks form on the wood like a black spider web. She whimpered, and ran out, holding her hands together.

Finally, she made it to the nurse's office. She turned the doorknob, trying to ignore the fact that it, like everything else she had touched, became covered with cracks and splits.

The nurse looked up at her. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

"I've got…a burn on my wrist…acid, from chemistry, Miss Jamel," Shaina croaked.

"Oh, well, let me see that!" Miss Jamel walked over, and took Shaina's wrist in her hand. But as soon as Shaina's hand touched the nurses' white coat, it tore and shredded.

Miss Jamel pulled back. "Huh? What happened?"

Shaina burst in to tears. "I DON'T KNOW! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH ME!"

Miss Jamel put her hands on Shaina's shoulders. "Shaina, calm down! This couldn't have been your fault! The cuts are too clean!"

Shaina nodded, trying to convince herself that this was true.

Abruptly, a boy with untidy blonde hair and blue eyes popped in to the nurse's office. "Hey, Miss Jamel? Do you have any Dixie cups? We're all out in the Animal Science Lab." He turned to Shaina, and a smile flickered visibly over his lips.

Shaina was not in the mood for boys right now, what with the whole ordeal with Darren and now this strange thing that was happening whenever she touched something.

Miss Jamel nodded. "Yes, Tucker. Just wait a minute." She looked at Shaina. "Shaina, why don't you sit down? You're obviously very upset."

Shaina hesitated. What would happen if she did?

Miss Jamel smiled at her. "It's alright, just sit down."

Shaina sat. The chair did nothing. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this whole thing didn't have anything to do with her. However, she was soon proved wrong, for as soon as her hands touched the chair, there was a horrible ripping and crashing, and Shaina found herself sitting on a pile of chair pieces.

The two stared at her.

Shaina lost it. She buried her face in her knees, and sobbed. "I don't know what's happening…what's wrong with me?…_I just touched it_…"

Miss Jamel walked towards her. "Shaina, it's…"

"JUST GET AWAY!" Shaina screeched.

"And that's how it happened."

Professor X's voice snapped Shaina back to reality. She looked up at him. "Yea, exactly. Whoa, that was weird…"

The Professor nodded. "Well, usually, mutant abilities surface for the first time at periods of heightened emotional stress. In your case, it was of a combination anger, jealousy, and sadness. And, just as you experienced, powers are often uncontrollable when they first surface."

"Ya don't need to tell me twice," Shaina commented, exhaling.

The Professor made an odd face. "But I saw something strange. You learned to control your power, and you also interacted with another mutant at that age…"

Shaina looked sad all of the sudden. "Yea…You wanna take a look?"

The Professor nodded. "If it's alright."

"Go ahead." She leaned over and closed her eyes.

He held his hands to her temples once again, and the memory picked up, right where it had left off:

Eventually, Shaina's mother was called to take her hysterical daughter home. The best explanation that Miss Jamel could think up was that Shaina had inhaled some of the chemicals they were using in the lab besides the acid, which had made her delirious and made her think that the strange destruction of school property (which was blamed on an unknown prankster/vandal) was her doing.

So, Shaina was taken home, although she refused to touch anything. She kept her hands jammed together throughout the entire ride home.

"Why don't you try to take a nap?" Asked Mrs. Hope asked Shaina gently, as if she were talking to a fussy toddler.

Shaina nodded. "Sleep is good," She assured herself out loud. Since she didn't know how she was going to undress without using her hands, she just flopped down on her bed in her loose jeans and t-shirt. She tried to take out her pigtails, but as soon as her fingers touched the elastics holding them in, they just snapped in half and shot off. Clenching her hands together, she laid on her side and fell asleep.

A few hours later, when she woke up, she absentmindedly stroked her pillow. Abruptly, she snapped up, realizing that she could touch things again. She tested it again. Nothing. The cracks were nowhere to be seen. She breathed a sigh of relief.

When she walked downstairs for a snack, her mother was sitting in the living room. "Shaina! How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Great," Shaina replied. "I think that nap was all I needed."

"You certainly gave us all quite a scare."

"Sorry, Mom."

Shaina took her snack up to her room, and then she got a peculiar idea. She got out a couple of crayons, laid them on her bed, selected one, and pressed her fingers down on it. No cracks. Shaina then concentrated hard on actually cracking the crayon, and slowly but surely, the cracks and splits appeared on it. In less than an hour, she had figured out that now, she could only crack things when she concentrated. Shaina then figured that maybe, just maybe, being able to make things crack would come in handy…

The next day at school, the school was abuzz about the prankster/vandal who had messed up so many things and almost caused a girl to not only get hurt, but to also go crazy temporarily.

Shaina rolled her eyes during lunch. "This is _so _stupid."

Kayla shook her head. "Shai-_na_! If you had seen yourself, then you'd know why everyone's making such a fuss about this! That whole thing with the test-tube was _so _not funny! I mean, you could've gotten a 3rd degree burn!"

Shaina was quiet. She wasn't sure that now was the time to tell Kayla about her new 'technique'.

That day, when Shaina was walking home from school, she was stopped by the boy she recognized as Tucker from the nurse's office.

He seemed to recognize her, too. "Are you that girl? Shaina, I think it was?"

"Yea, and you're Tucker, right?" Shaina replied, wondering what this was about.

He exhaled. "Man! You would _not _believe how long it took for me to find you! I had to ask so many people!"

"What's going on?" Shaina asked.

His expression turned serious. "Look, you know that thing you were doing yesterday? Making objects crack and break?"

Shaina stiffened. "That wasn't me. Everyone in the school seems to think it was some prankster/vandal."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "Yea, right. Well, it's just…" He stopped, as if trying to find the right words. "Look, I'm not quite sure what the deal is, but…you're not the only one with gifts. I've got one, too."

Shaina looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"

He walked towards her. "Hold out your hand," He commanded.

Shaina hesitated, and then held it out. He put one of his hands near her forehead, and the other, one he cupped over her hand. Then, he concentrated. He lifted up his hand, and Shaina was shocked.

It was the most beautiful butterfly she had ever seen. Were its wings silver or shiny lavender? Or perhaps metallic blue, it depended on the angle and light. It was so calm, sitting in the palm of her hand, flapping its wings gently.

She _had _to touch it. But as soon as soon as she brought her fingers to it, it disappeared, exactly like smoke rising from a freshly-blown out candle.

Shaina looked up at Tucker. "What…was that?"

He gave her a small smile. "_My_ gift. I can make people see things…but it fades if they try to touch it."

"Whoa…" Shaina touched her empty palm. "You can do that?"

"Yea. I dunno how, and I don't think I should tell anyone, either."

Shaina folded her arms over her chest. "So…you and I have powers…Question: Why?"

"I have no idea. But you gotta admit, it's cool." He smiled at her. "Well, I just wanted you to know that you're not alone…"

Shaina returned his smile. "Thanks."

"So, it turns out that Tucker was a mutant?" Asked Professor X.

Shaina nodded. "Yea. He and I became friends. Though after awhile, he started calling me, 'Splinter', which is where I got my code name, and I started calling him, 'Morpheus'.

"'Morpheus'?"

"The Greek god of dreams. Anyway, we actually ended up dating, until…" Her voice trailed off.

The Professor looked at her. "Until what?"

Shaina smiled weakly. "Forget it. It's behind me now." She rubbed the back of her neck. "So, I let you read my mind, now keep your end of the bargain: Why is Rogue so mad at me?"

The Professor nodded. "I think I know: tell me, did you kiss Logan on the cheek on Tuesday?"

Shaina blushed. "Oh, yea…But I was just teasing!"

He smiled at her. "So Rogue _wasn't _dreaming. But the fact of the matter is that Rogue and Logan have become friends over the course of the year, and, as Logan has told you, Rogue isn't easy to get close to. So, she feels jealous when another woman takes an interest in her male friend."

"That's _it_? But I don't like Logan that way, and judging by the way he acts, I seriously doubt that he likes me!"

The Professor nodded. "I know, though Rogue doesn't. Your only hope is to tell her. That's all for now." He paused, and then added casually, "By-the-way, Sailor Chicks is in Keri's room."

"She is? Thanks, I've been looking for her." Shaina replied as she stood up. "And yea, I will talk to Rogue." She walked out of the room, and immediately came face-to-face with Logan, who was standing outside the door.

"Hey," He greeted her.

Shaina looked at him. "Heavens to Betsy, have you been standing here this whole time?"

He shrugged. "Yea. It's only been about 10 minutes. So, what did Charles say?"

"That Rogue's experiencing the common jealousy that's to be expected when a woman shows interest in her male friend."

"Huh?"

"She's jealous because she thinks I'm in love with you."

"Oh…Wait, why would she think that?"

Shaina felt a bit uncomfortable. "Well she saw that _friendly_ and _teasing_ kiss that I gave you. And, she thought that it was something different."

"Oh, that? Yea, well, it kinda confused _me_, so I guess I can understand that."

Shaina nodded. "Look, I'm gonna talk to her. Woman-to-woman."

So, she bid farewell to Logan, and headed off towards Rogue's room. However, she made a quick pit-stop in Keri's room. Seeing as how the door was open, she walked in. "Keri? Is Sailor Chicks in here?"

Inside the room, it was as if punk rappers had decided to have a tea party. For on the bed, sat Keri, Mr. B, and Keri's teddy bear, alias "Teddy". Mr. B and Teddy were both wearing sideways baseball caps and dark sunglasses. Teddy had a microphone rubber-banded to his paw. But Keri was the 'punkiest' of them all, wearing not only dark glasses and the sideways baseball cap, but cargo pants that looked at least two sizes too large, and an enormous medallion around her neck. With great effort, she lifted up her head and said to Shaina, "Yo! You interruptin' Big-T, and that ain't cool!"

Shaina wasn't sure whether to laugh or be highly disturbed. "Whaddya mean, 'interupting Big-T?'"

"Hello!" She pointed to Teddy's microphone. "Ya don't just barge in! It rude, ya know what I'm sayin'?"

"Keri, I have no idea what you're doing, but I want to know one thing: do you know where Sailor Chicks is?"

Abruptly, Sailor Chicks walked in to the room. She was wearing dark glasses and a 'sock' hat. She sat down and looked up at Shaina, looking pleased with herself.

Shaina looked at Keri. "OK, what did you do to my cat?"

"Bein' pregnant made her bored. I showed her da high livin'! It's off da heezy-fo-sheezy!" He put her hands in the air and shook them.

"Huh?"

"It's off da hook!"

Shaina brushed some of her hair out of her face. "Alright, ya know, I'm just gonna leave…and I'm taking Sailor Chicks with me." She picked up her cat, and strolled out of the room, as Keri started rapping an incomprehensible song while jumping on the bed.

As they walked down the hallway, Shaina decided to strike up a conversation with Sailor Chicks. "Did you really agree to play, or did she just pick you up and drag you in to the room?"

"Meow."

"Yup, that's Keri. Sorry, I probably should've told you that I was meeting with the Professor."

"Meow?"

"Oh, it went well. He just read my mind and saw when I got my power. That kind of thing."

"Meow?"

"Yes, I found out what the deal with Rogue is. Apparently, she saw that little kiss I gave Logan, and now she's jealous because she thinks I like him. So I'm gonna talk to her." She walked over to the room that Rogue and Kitty shared, and was thankful to find that Rogue was in there alone, laying on her bed, reading a book. She set Sailor Chicks on the ground. "Maybe you ought to go."

Sailor Chicks looked up at Shaina, and then walked away towards her room.

Shaina turned, and knocked on the door jamb, even though the door was open.

Rogue looked up at her from her book. Her expression dulled. "Oh…it's you."

Shaina nodded. "We need to talk."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "There's nothin' to talk about."

"Yes there is!" Shaina argued. She took a step inside the room. "I know why you hate me!"

Rogue's expression softened. "Ah don't…hate you…"

"You sure act like it!" Shaina countered, taking another step in to the room.

"Ah just…it's…" Her voice trailed off.

Shaina approached Rogue's bed. "It's Logan."

Rogue looked sad. "Yea, it is."

"Do you mind if I sit down?" Shaina asked. When Rogue shook her head, Shaina sat down next to her. "Look, I know what you think, because the Professor told me: you saw that kiss I gave Logan,"

Rogue nodded.

"Well, I was just joking. I'm not in love with him. So, you don't have to worry about me seducing him and him forgetting all about you. OK? We're just friends, and a person can have more than one friend."

Rogue looked up at her. "Ah'll be blunt: Ah don't like you very much. It's partly because of that, and partly because we're so different. Ah don't think too highly of girls who kiss boys as a joke. But ah'll still be nice to ya."

Shaina nodded. "Yea, and I don't think to highly of you, either. But I'll be nice to you, too."

"So, do we have a deal?"

"Right. I'm glad we had this…uh…would you call it a conversation?"

"Chat." Rogue corrected. "Bye." She returned her book.

Shaina figured that this was the farthest she could get, and retreated to her room, where Sailor Chicks was laying in the bottom drawer of her dresser. Sailor Chicks had long since decided that this was the place where she wanted to have her kittens, and Shaina had taken all of her clothes out of the drawer and put in it a pillow and a towel.

Shaina walked over to her cat. "You OK, Sailor Chicks?"

Sailor Chicks looked up at Shaina, and gave her a look that Shaina understood completely.

Shaina's jaw dropped. "_Tonight_?! They're coming tonight?!"

Sailor Chicks just rested her head on the pillow, building up energy.

***

That night, around 9:00, Logan decided to visit Shaina because he wanted to find out if she had talked to Rogue. He made his way over to her room, and found that her door was ajar, and the light was on. Nonetheless, he still knocked.

Shaina opened the door. "Hey," She greeted. She then opened the door all of the way, gesturing for him to come in.

Logan got right to his question. "Didja talk to Rogue?"

Shaina nodded. "Yea."

"…And?"

"And she says that she still doesn't like me, but it's really nothing personal. It's just that we're so different. Though she says she'll still be nice to me. And that's alright, because honestly and truly, I'm not too fond of her. But the same goes for me: I'll still be nice to her."

"Whatever floats your boat," Logan commented, shrugging. That's when he noticed Sailor Chicks. The cat was laying in the bottom drawer of Shaina's dresser, breathing deeply. "Uh, is she alright?" He asked Shaina.

"Oh, yea. She's resting, because she's going to go in to labor in less than an hour," Shaina replied calmly, as if they were discussing the weather.

Logan's eyes widened. "You mean…she's gonna have kittens?"

"Yup. I'm gonna stay awake, in case she needs my help."

Abruptly, Keri, who was passing by Shaina's room, dashed in. "Sailor Chick's gonna have her babies?! When?! And do you know how many?!"

Shaina smiled at her. "In less than an hour. And I took her to the vet a couple days ago, and he saw four kittens in the x-ray."

"OOH!" Keri squealed, so excited it looked as though she might explode. "Can I watch?! Please?!"

Shaina shook her head. "No. It's not gonna be for a while, and believe me, the whole process is pretty gross. But you can see 'em tomorrow morning, when they're all dry and fluffy and cute."

Keri sighed sadly. "Alright…But you promise that I can see them tomorrow?"

"I promise."

"Alright." Keri's face turned happy. "Then, in that case, I'm going to go to bed now, because the sooner I go to sleep, the sooner it'll be tomorrow, and then I can see the babies!"

Shaina nodded. "Good plan. But remember, don't get attached to them. 'Cause when they get old enough, I'm finding homes for them…"

Keri nodded. "I know!" She skipped off happily towards her room.

Logan turned to Shaina. "You're givin' the kittens away?"

She nodded. "Yea. Kittens are cute, but they're curious and get in to everything. And then, they grow in to cats. I don't think I can handle having five cats in the house."

"I don't suppose I can argue with that. Well, g'night. And…uh…call me if you need me, I guess."

"I will. Good night."

He was almost out of the room, when he stopped and asked, "How long until the kittens can leave Sailor Chicks?"

Shaina smiled. "Six weeks at the very youngest, though experts agree that you should wait nine or 10 weeks."

"How long're you gonna wait?"

"I'll see how they are at eight weeks."

"Eight weeks…So that's about…"

"A little bit after the middle of March."

"March, huh?" He walked out of the room, wondering if he could survive four kittens and a cat in the institute until then.


	8. Fiery Feelings

Chapter Eight:

Fiery Feelings

__

January 21

The next morning, when Logan woke up, he was aware of a commotion coming from Shaina's room. _Looks like Sailor Chicks is mother_, he thought to himself. Quickly, he dressed, and strolled in to Shaina's room.

Keri, Kitty, and Kurt were leaning over the drawer and cooing. Logan looked in as well, and found a tired-looking Sailor Chicks nursing four small puffballs.

Logan looked at Shaina, who looked proud of her cat. "Did it go well?" He asked.

Shaina nodded. "Yea…she needed my help a bit with drying them off, and the last one came out feet first and was kinda stubborn, but it's alright now. All of the kittens are doing fine."

Meanwhile, the three K's were still watching the kittens. Keri smiled. "They're so cute! Even if they _are_ still blind and deaf!" She reached down to pet one, but Sailor Chicks let loose a caterwaul teamed with a hiss that sounded like it could have come from a tiger, and showed her some teeth.

Keri withdrew her arm. "OK. Cool it, Sparky," Keri said in a high-pitched voice.

"Keri, she, like, doesn't want you to touch her babies!" Kitty scolded.

"It's nothing personal. It's just a traditional thing." Shaina pointed out.

"Will she let _you_ hold the kittens?" Keri asked.

Shaina nodded. "Yea, because I've known her for seven years, and plus, I was a midwife during her delivery."

"Huh?"

"I helped her when she was having them."

"Oh…"

Kurt looked up at Shaina. "So, vat are they?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "They're kittens, Elf. Where have you been?"

Kurt made a face. "I know zat! I mean, are zey boys or girls?"

Shaina pointed to an pale-orange kitten with faint brown stripes, and a black one. "These two are boys," She explained. She then pointed to a cream-colored colored one and one that was white with silvery gray highlights, "…and these two are girls."

Scott walked in. "Hey, is _anyone_ gonna come down for breakfast?" Then, he noticed Sailor Chicks. "Uh…congratulations, Sailor Chicks."

Sailor Chicks gave him a content smile.

Keri's orange head popped up. "Ya know, I'm going to go get everyone!"

"Why don't we eat first?" Shaina suggested.

Everyone agreed, and began to make their way down to the dining room. Logan was about to leave, but noticed that Keri was hanging behind. Logan could tell that she wanted nothing more to grab a kitten and cuddle it senseless.

Sailor Chicks shot her a warning glance that said quite clearly, _"If you touch my babies, I'll tear out your eyeballs."_

Keri held her hands out. "OK. I'm going…"

As she backed out of the door, one of the kittens, the cream-colored one, yawned, showing its pink tongue.

Keri jammed her hands on her hips. "Alright, now you're just teasing me."

Logan chuckled. "C'mon, Imp." He grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her out of the room.

***

"YOU ARE NOT RIGHT! YOU ARE WRONG! WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! WRONG IS WHAT YOU ARE! YOU'RE _WRONG_! WHAT YOU'RE SAYING RIGHT NOW IS WRONG! AND DON'T ARGUE WITH ME, 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE _WRONG_!" Keri shouted.

Logan walked up. "Keri, _why_ are you arguin' with your Gameboy®?"

Keri looked at him as if it were obvious. "It said I touched the enemy, but I know that he was exactly four pixels away!"

It took Logan a second to remember what a pixel was. Then, he shrugged. "That's not really a lot…maybe you made a mistake."

Keri glared at him. "Oh, sure, take _its_ side!" She picked up her Gameboy®. "I'll be in my trailer!" With that, she stormed in to the closet.

Scott walked past. "Uh, what's going on?"

"Keri just threw a fit and stormed in to the closet," Logan answered.

Scott shrugged. "Maybe it's hormones?"

Logan looked at him. "Or maybe she's just mad because Sailor Chicks won't let her hold a kitten."

Keri phased her head through the door. "WRONG! YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG! YOU'RE _ALWAYS_ WRONG! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME, YOU WRONG PERSON!" She jammed it back in, and about two seconds later, she popped it back out at him. "That was directed at Scott, by-the-way. Logan pretty much hit the nail right on the head."

Shaina walked in to the room, cupping something in her hands. "What's up, guys?" She asked.

"Nothin' outta the ordinary." Logan replied honestly.

Shaina nodded. "Anyway, I was looking for Keri. While Sailor Chicks was asleep, I snuck out _this_!" She held out her hands, which held the white and silver kitten. "I thought she might want to see her…"

Suddenly, from inside the closet, they all heard the sound of running feet, and a _BAM_ that sounded unmistakably like something heavy hitting the door. About five seconds later, Keri phased through the door, holding her forehead. "Ow…Forgot to phase through the door that first time…" When she saw the kitten, her eyes lit up, and rushed over. "KITTEN!"

"Shh!" Scott shushed her. "You want the poor thing to go deaf?!"

"Um, actually, Scott, she's deaf right now. And blind. She was just born last night, ya know," Shaina pointed out.

Logan looked at the it. "Then how come she just looked up?"

This was true. For right after Shaina commented on about the kitten's senses, it raised its tiny head up and peered at them through sealed eyelids.

"She's can't hear or see you, but she can smell you, and she can feel air vibrations. She knows that she's not with her mother and siblings.

"Whatever!" Keri said absentmindedly as she pet the kitten's fur. The kitten jumped slightly, but remained calm under Keri's hand.

Shaina's eyes shot open. "Oh dear. My Sailor Chicks senses are tingling. She's waking up, and she'll be pretty P.O.'ed when she finds three kittens instead of four. I gotta get this little gal back to her!" She snatched up the tiny kitten and made a mad-dash back to her room.

***

__

January 22

Logan couldn't sleep. He kept waking up, sometimes from nightmares about the doctor who gave him his adamantium skeleton; other times he couldn't remember why.

Finally, around 2:00 A.M., he decided to go to the kitchen for something to help him sleep. When he arrived, he was surprised to see Shaina there, as well. She was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a glass of milk.

She looked up at him. "Hello."

"Hey," He greeted, looking her over. Her pajamas were a red tank-top and red plaid pants.

"So, what brings you down here at this hour?" She asked.

"Nightmares teamed with insomnia."

"Same here. I kept dreaming that a plague of bees were attacking the elementary school. It was like a stupid B-movie, but still…" Shaina said. "And you?"

Logan sat down next to her. "I…" How could he sum it all up? "Well, ya see, the people who gave me my adamantium claws and skeleton—an organization called, 'Shield'—also gave me amnesia. So, I really don't know a lot about myself…like my age, my surname, and my past…But every time I have a nightmare, it's about the surgery…or at least chunks of it."

"Wow…" Shaina breathed. "That makes my Bee thing look like a princess-in-a-castle-fantasy." Logan could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking, _Should he be telling me this?_ "Uh…I'm sorry…"

"Yea, well, what's done is done, and the fact still remains that I can't sleep," Logan brushed it off.

"Try milk. It helps you sleep." She gestured over to her half-full glass of milk.

Logan nodded, and got himself a glass and pulled the square milk jug out of the fridge.

Shaina turned to him. "I've seen square watermelons, but I had never seen square milk jugs until I moved to Bayville."

"Square watermelons?" Logan asked.

"Yea! They grow 'em in Japan! Ya see, people kept complaining about how their watermelons didn't fit in the fridge, so somebody came up with a method of growing the watermelons in a glass box, so they're square!"

Logan poured his milk and sat down, absorbed in her story. "Are you makin' this up?"

Shaina shook her head. "No, I'm serious! My aunt and her family live in Japan, and when I was a kid, she used to serve square watermelon when we came to visit!"

"How does it taste?"

"Exactly like regular watermelon. Which is a bit of a let-down, considering that the darn thing costs roughly the equivalent of $70."

"Interesting…" Logan commented. Logan pictured the cube-shaped watermelon in his mind, and struggled not to laugh. He had never really been fond of the taste of watermelon, it was too sweet and messy. But he did like the way it smelled. He felt as though he needed something to discuss with her, so he asked, "So, do ya like living here?"

Shaina took a sip of her milk and wiped off her mouth. "Yea. Everyone seems pretty nice…except for Rogue."

Logan sighed. "It's nothin' personal. She's got that whole, 'Goth-teenage-angst' thing going on, but she has a _reason_ to act that way."

"And what's that?"

"Well, she never knew her birth-parents, and Mystique adopted her when she was four. When her power first surfaced, Mystique tricked her in to thinkin' that the X-Men wanted to hurt her, so she joined the Brotherhood. When she realized that Mystique had lied to her, she joined the X-Men, but it's like I always say: Betrayal sticks with ya. But I think that the main reason she acts like that is because her power makes it so she can't have skin-to-skin contact with anyone."

Shaina sighed. "Well, when you put it that way, I can't blame her for being…be-yatchy," She said, carefully avoided cursing.

Logan couldn't help but chuckle. A woman of 28 who used the word 'be-yatchy'?

Suddenly, the two of them heard a female voice clearing her throat. They turned and saw Rogue standing in the doorway. She didn't look completely thrilled.

"Hey," Logan said. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No, Ah couldn't," Rogue replied shortly.

"Would you like some milk?" Shaina offered.

"No thanks," Rogue answered shortly. "You two seem to be havin' a pleasant conversation about me, so Ah'll just leave. After all, isn't that the point of talkin' behind someone's back?"

There were a few seconds in which it seemed as though everything stopped. Then, Logan said, "Rogue—"

She didn't say anything. She just turned on her heel and stalked out of the kitchen.

Logan snapped out of his chair and went after her. "Rogue!" He called.

She didn't answer, or even stop walking.

"Rogue! Hold on!" He tried.

She still didn't stop.

He was getting fed-up with this. He managed to catch up to her when they were in the main hallway, where the stairs led up to the second story. Since he knew she wouldn't stop for anything, he grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her towards him.

"Let go of me!" She snapped, trying to twist out of his grasp.

"No!" He growled. "We need to talk…now!"

"Why don't ya go talk to _Shaina_?" She mocked. "Maybe you can tell her more about me! Did ya tell her about how mah powers freaked out last year? That one's _golden_!"

"Rogue, I'm sorry! We shouldn't have talked behind your back!"

"Why would you _do_ that?!" She shrieked. "You were the last person who ah thought would do somethin' like that to me!"

"She just started sayin' how it seemed like you were the only one in the institute who wasn't nice, and I told her that you had a reason to act the way you do! So she asked what is what is was, and that's when I told her about you! It's not like we sat down and said, 'Hey, let's talk about Rogue!'!

"HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF AH TOLD HER ABOUT SHIELD?!" Rogue demanded.

"I'D BE ANGRY, BUT I'M NOT THE ONE WHO'S BEEN ACTING LIKE A B**** LATELY!" He shouted, matching her tone. Rogue flinched, Logan thought he could see a tear forming up in her eyes. He immediately realized that he shouldn't have cursed at her, but he just had to let this out.

_"OH, SO THAT'S WHAT YA THINK, HUH?!_ I HEARD SHAINA CALL ME A 'BE-YATCH' BUT NOT WHAT _YOU _SAID!"

"YOU'RE TWISTIN' THIS AROUND, AND YOU KNOW IT! AND ANYWAY, SINCE WHEN DO YOU EAVESDROP?!"

"AH WASN'T EAVESDROPPING! AH CAME DOWN TO THE KITCHEN FOR SOMETHING TO DRINK, AND AH JUST OVERHEARD YOU! BUT AH SUPPOSE AH'M SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THAT ALL THIS IS MAH FAULT!"

"_BECAUSE IT **IS** YOUR FAULT! MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T ACT LIKE A WET CAT TOWARDS SHAINA, THEN THIS WHOLE THING WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!"_

"HOW COME SHAINA'S GETTING' OFF SCOTT-FREE?!"

"SHE'S NOT! I'LL TALK TO HER, TOO!"

Logan was suddenly aware that Jean, Keri, Kitty, Amara, and Bobby had gathered at the top of the stairs and were watching his 'exchange' with Rogue. "What're _you_ five starin' at?" He growled at them. He turned back to Rogue. "I'm sorry that I made you angry, alright?!"

"NO, IT'S NOT ALRIGHT! NOW LET GO OF ME, BEFORE AH MAKE YOU!"

Logan realized that all she had to was to turn her hand a bit, and she could touch his bare arm, which would activate her power. This, teamed with the fact that he wasn't interested in having a shouting match with her at 2:00 A.M., made him decide to give up. Reluctantly, he released her.

She gave him a nasty look, and the stormed up to her room. Jean, Keri, Kitty, Amara, and Bobby watched her come up the stairs, and hurried to get out of her way. Then, they turned to him, an amazed look on their faces.

Logan didn't feel like dealing with this right now, so he said to them, "You guys, go to bed! You've got school today."

Immediately, the group broke out in whispers:

"What happened?"

"Why were they yelling at each other?"

"He must've been a total jerk if they were yelling like that!"

**_"GO TO BED!!"_** Logan roared, so loudly that (everyone could swear) the chandelier above their heads shook.

This got their attention, apparently, because the students charged back to their rooms as quickly as possible.

For a minute, Logan just stood there, holding his forehead in one of his hands. He didn't blame Rogue for being angry at him, but on the other hand, wasn't she overreacting just a _bit_?

Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice inside of his head. _Logan, what's going on?!_

_Nothin', Charles_ Logan thought in reply.

_That's got to be the loudest nothing I've ever heard._

Rogue and I just had a frank exchange of ideas. That's all. Logan brushed some of his hair out of his face.

_Logan— _The Professor began, but Logan cut him off.

_It's NOTHING, Charles. I'm tired, I'm going to bed._

It's really not smart to lie to someone who's telepathic, you know.

Well, if you can read my mind, then you know I don't want to talk about it right now! Just go read her _mind!_

I just want to know—

I'LL TALK TO YOU IN A FEW HOURS, CHARLES. Now, leave me alone! With that defiant thought, he fumed back to the kitchen, where he met up with Shaina again.

"Something tells me I don't want to know what that was all about," She said as she put their milk glasses in the dishwasher.

"Ya know how she didn't like you before?" He asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, it seems to me that she hates you now, and she _really _hates me." Once again, Logan held his forehead in one of his hands. This time, though, he was wondering how everything had just gotten screwed up.


	9. Wicked Strange

            Hey all, it's me, Neostar1, authoress of Strange Triangles.  Before I do anything else, I would like to say to you guys that I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really sorry it took, like, five months for me to update.  It's been one Heckuva of a semester for me at school, and I've suffered from one of the worst cases of writer's block I've ever had.

            The school thing I can't really control, though you can blame most of the writer's block from me writing myself into a corner during chapter 10.  Seriously, at one point, I went on a two-month hiatus.  The other three months have just been me "grazing" on the story.  I'm sorry if chapter 10 sucks, but frankly, about a week ago I figured that I really didn't care anymore and I'd just finish it so I could move on.

            On a lighter note, this is the first time I've ever done a "Greetings from the Author" things at the beginning of a chapter in the middle of a story (unless you count the really short, factual ones I did at the beginning of Rock on, Goggle Boy).  I've decided that I'm going to start a "Ask the author" thing here, so if you've got a question about the story, or you want to point out a mistake (spelling, grammar, or any other mistake that's too big to ignore), just shoot me an e-mail at purple-angel@charter.net.  I won't answer spoilers like: "Who's Logan gonna fall for?", but I will answer smaller ones like: "How many pages long is the story?"

            I think that's about it, so I'm just gonna shut my yap and let you continue the story.  Thanks for reading, and remember to write a review!

****

Chapter Nine:

Wicked Strange

_January 25_

            "Ya know…" Keri commented that Wednesday.  "The institute just isn't as fun as it used to be…"

            "You said it," Kitty agreed.

            It had been three days since Logan and Rogue had gotten in to their argument, and things hadn't been the same since.  The two weren't speaking, and the problem was that Logan and Rogue were probably the two most stubborn people at the institute.  Rogue was still angry, and after the apology that he had tried to give her that night, it seemed that Logan had just given up.  And since no one really knew what they were arguing about, rumors were flying.  This made the two angry, to a point where Logan, after overhearing Ray talking to Sam about how maybe it was a secret love affair, snuck up behind him and ejected his claws about a quarter of an inch away from his face.  Ray wasn't actually hurt, but the thing whole startled him so much he nearly wet himself.  And Sailor Chicks, who cared about her kitten's well-being, snapped at anyone who tried to pet them, and was constantly in a bad mood from not being able to leave them for very long.

            "I sure hope this whole thing, like, blows over, ya know?" Kitty said, playing with her brown ponytail.

            "Uh-huh…" Kurt nodded, flipping channels on TV.

            Shaina walked in and sat down on the couch.  "I don't mean to butt-in, but I hope that they make up soon, too.  If anything, she should be mad at me, not Logan.  I was the one who popped the question."

            Keri looked at her.  "Don't be so hard on yourself.  Logan didn't have to tell her, either.  Besides, they're friends.  Even though they're as stubborn as mules, they'll make up soon."

            "I hope you're right." Shaina sighed.

            "Vhat's zat?" Kurt asked, pointing to a catnip mouse in Shaina's hand.

            Shaina looked down at it, and her eyes lit up.  "Thanks for reminding me; I forgot what I was doing for a minute there.  Sailor Chicks left this down here, and she wanted me to go get it for her.  'Bye, all." She stood up, and walked away.

            Kurt turned off the TV.  "I'd vetter go, too.  I just remembered zhat I have math homevork to do." He got up and walked away, too.

            Kitty looked down at Keri.  "And I've got a book I need to read." Kitty departed, as well.

            Keri looked around at the empty room, and announced, "Hey!  Is it just me, or is it just me?"

***

_January 26_

            The third-grade girls at Bayville Elementary had two things to celebrate that Friday.  First off, it was Friday, which meant that at 3:00 P.M., they had the weekend ahead of them.  And second, it was the last day that they would have to watch that God-awful movie in P.E. class.

            It was the end of movie, which usually means the most exciting part.  But not _this movie.  This was the most stupid and boring part.  Some kids had even covered their ears, in case their brains began to leak out._

            Keri had stayed up late watching a scary movie, and then the three-hour special of _What's Cute and Cuddly, a TV show, and had gotten about five hours of sleep the previous night.  Needless to say, she was exhausted._

            Just as she was about to doze off, she noticed a bad scent lingering in the air.  At first it was just a hint, but then, it became too strong to ignore.

            The kids moaned groaned, and gagged, deprived of precious oxygen.

            Paige, the girl Keri and Miki hated, clawed at the ground feverishly.  "THE SMELL!  THE SMELL!  IT'S OVERPOWERING!  I'M GONNA—" That was as far as she got before she exploded, and her organs scattered everywhere.

            The next thing Keri knew, Miki was shaking her.  "Keri, wake-up!" She pleaded.  "You fell asleep!  And Miss Hope is giving you a look!"

            Keri looked up, and saw that Shaina was indeed giving her a look that said, _If__ I have to watch this and risk brain liquefaction, so do you._

            Keri looked around.  She could still smell the strange scent lingering in the air, but it wasn't so strong that the children were gagging.  And, much to Keri's dismay, Paige was chattering about her hair and the upcoming Valentine's Day Dance, instead of lying in pieces around the room.

            When Paige began talking about how she was going to ask James Turner, Keri's boyfriend (or at least as close to a boyfriend as you can get in third grade) to go with her to the dance, Keri groaned and rolled her eyes.  "I wish she really _had_ exploded…" She whispered fiercely to Miki.

            "OK, I'll bite: _what_ are you talking about?" Miki asked.

            "I had a weird dream where there was this really bad smell filling the room and no one could breath and Paige exploded,"  Keri answered simply.

            Her friend sniffed the air.  "Ya know, now that you mention it, I _do_ smell something…"

            She wasn't the only one who noticed the smell.  Several students began smelling the air and making comments.

            Shaina smelled around, and turned off the movie.  Then, she pumped her arms in the air, signaling a triumph.  "This must be a divine sign from above!  Either that, or a mouse got stuck in the heating vents again.  But either way, we're _not_ watching the movie anymore!"

            The class cheered, although it quickly turned to groans by the scent.

            Shaina ushered them out of the gym.  "Alright, let's just go out in to the hallway until I get to the bottom of this."

            However, Keri was surprised to see that almost every class in the school had gathered in the hall. James was across the hall from her, and their eyes met.  Keri mouthed, _What's__ going on?  James just shook his head and shrugged._

            "Stay here," Shaina ordered her class, and headed towards three other teachers who were discussing the school's smelly problem.

            Miki leaned over and whispered to Keri, "Maybe it's Magneto and the Acolytes!  Or the Brotherhood!"

            Keri rolled her eyes.  "Or maybe it's just a _very unlucky mouse…"_

***

            Shaina met up with three teachers who were standing there, talking about the problem.  "So…uh, what's going on?"

            Karen Hyatt, the Librarian, turned to her.  "I dunno…It smells terrible, though…"

            "It's like something's burning…Do you think it could be a mouse in the heater or something?" Said Birdie McGuire, Keri, Miki, and James's teacher.

            "Oh, the poor thing!" Moaned Miranda Green, the vegetarian, animal-rights activist, and Jamie's teacher.

            Shaina put her hand on Miranda's shoulder.  "Relax, Miranda.  It's probably not a mouse.  I bet Amanda just burned something in the cafeteria."  Amanda Glass was the lunch lady.

            "You know what it smells like?" Piped up Michael Clowski, the computer teacher.  "A stink-bomb!"

            Birdie looked at him.  "A _stink-bomb?"_

            "Yea!  My friends and I used to set 'em off all of the time when we were kids!  They're pretty easy to make, and they smell terrible," He said.

            Abruptly, they were interrupted by Principal Alex Cracken.  "Alright, why does the school smell like cow dung?!" He demanded.

            The five of them suddenly heard Keri's voice squeal, "Cow dung!  _That's_ it!  Thanks, Principal Cracken!  It didn't know what the scent was, and it was driving me crazy!"

            "Quiet, Miss Smith!" Snapped the Principal.

            Shaina hid her face in her hand, so no one could tell how close she was to laughing.  When she had fully restrained herself, she looked up again, and saw that Michael was talking to Alex.

            "Stink-bombs?  In _this_ school?!"

            "That's what it looks like, sir."

            "Who could do something like this?"

            Shaina sighed.  "Listen to see who's bragging.  But that's for another time.  For now, I think that we ought to just do something about the smell."

            As if on cue, what seemed like a second wave hit, and the smell increased drastically.  Kids started moaning, and several looked as though they were going to be sick.

            "Maybe we ought to move the kids outside!" Birdie suggested quickly.

            "Maybe we ought to send them home," Miranda suggested as well.

            "Birdie, yes.  Miranda, not unless it comes down to that," Alex replied.  He strolled in to a classroom, dialed a number on the phone, and suddenly, his voice came over the intercom.  "Attention, students and faculty!  Due to the air problem, we have decided to move the students outdoors until further notice.  Teachers, please make sure your students have their coats on outside."

            Keri turned to Miki.  "Ya hear _that?  We got leprechauns!"_

            Miki looked at her.  "_What?"_

            "Leprechauns!  Principal Cracken just said it over the intercom!"

            Miki gave her an odd look.  "He said, 'until further notice,' not, 'leprechauns'!"

            Keri cocked her head at a quizzical angle.  "Really?  I could've sworn he said something about leprechauns…Or maybe that was Tim O'Rilley, who's standing right next to me and talking really loudly…"

            Miki grabbed her friend's arm.  "Whatever.  Right now, we need to go get our jackets."

            As she led Keri away, Shaina could swear she heard Keri announce, "Milk cows!"

            Shaina watched the two go, and wondered if Keri was dropped on her head as a child…repeatedly.

***

            It had been 20 minutes, and the students were still outside.  Since they weren't allowed on the playground, they were just sitting on the massive field behind the school.

            Keri and Miki were currently playing 20 questions.

            "Animal, vegetable, or mineral?" Asked Keri.

            "Animal," Answered Miki.

            "Are you a mammal?"

            "Yes."

            "Are you human?"

            "No."

            "Do you live in a certain part of the world?"

            "Yes."

            "Do you live in Australia?"

            "Yes."

            "Are you a marsupial?"

            "No."

            "Are you a platypus?"

            "Ding-ding-ding!  That's correct!"

            Keri yawned.  In the excitement that was the smell ordeal, she had forgotten how tired she was.  Now that they were sitting outside, she had remembered, and was fighting to stay awake.

            "So, do ya think that they'll close down the school and send us home?" Miki asked.

            "If they do, then I'm going to take a nap," Keri sighed.  She probably wouldn't be so tired if she hadn't stayed up for the _What's Cute and Cuddly special, but after watching that scary movie, then she really needed those three hours to regain her senses._

            Keri wasn't the only one who uncomfortable.  Several students were complaining that they were cold, or tired, or hungry, etc.

            James strolled up to them.  "Hey, Keri.  Hey, Miki," He greeted, sitting down with them.

            "Hi James," The two girls chorused.

            James sighed.  "Stink bombs…who'da thunk it?"

            "Not me…" Keri replied.  "I just hope that the teachers do something soon."

***

            "Hey, I just realized something…" Shaina commented.

            "What?" Asked Miranda.

            "I _really hate the boiler room…!" Shaina replied, ducking to avoid a pipe._

            Miranda looked down, and her eyes lit up.  "Oh, look!  A mouse!"  It ran up to Shaina and began crawling around on her shoe.

            Shaina looked down on it, took a deep breath, and squeaked, "Miranda?  I'm gonna need you to get that for me…"

            Miranda strolled over, and the mouse just scurried away.  "It was so cute!" Miranda sighed.

            "Yea, whatever…" Shaina mumbled.  She looked around.  "So…if I were a stink-bomb, where would I be?  Somewhere where the smell would spread quickly…and I'd hit 'em where it hurts…The ventilation system, of course!  Miranda, that's it!"

            "What's it?"

            "That's how they smell is spreading so fast!  But the question is, 'Where are the stink bombs stationed'?"

            "I thought you figured out that it was the vents…"

            "I know, but where exactly _in_ the vents?  Hmmm…maybe if we figure out where the smell is the strongest, we can find the bombs and make sure that there aren't any more…C'mon, Miranda.  Let's go find the others before—"

***

            Keri was dreaming about leprechauns and pastries when she was rudely awaken by Miki standing up.  "You _paid that red-bearded green man to turn the cupcake in to a traffic cone?!" She snarled as she sat up._

            "What does _that mean?" Asked James._

            Keri looked at him solemnly.  "I…don't…know…"  She crossed her legs.  "So, what's up?"

            Miki drew a spiral in the dirt.  "The teachers are still inside, checking for stink bombs…We're still outside, sitting on the ground and freezing our rears off."

            "Why don't they just send us home?  We've already been out here for 30 minutes…" James groaned.

            "Oh, well…keep me posted," Keri curled up in to a ball and rested her head in Miki's lap.

            Suddenly, an explosion-like sound erupted from the school, and the air was filled with the most foul scent you can imagine.

            The children covered their faces with their coats to try to filter the air.  Keri, who was snapped back to attention, could feel her breakfast working its way back up.  Luckily, she managed to force it back down.  "GOOD LORD, MAN!" She shrieked.

            The student's attention was brought to the back door of the school, where several teachers and the Principal were staggering out, looking nauseous.

            James eyes widened.  "Gah, and I thought _we had it bad!  They were actually in the building when it went off!"_

            Principal Cracken wasn't at all pleased.  "GOD**** STINK-BOMBS!  WHEN I FIND THE LITTLE **** WHO SET THOSE, I'M GOING TO WRING THEY'RE ****ING NECKS, AND THEY'LL NEVER SET A ****ING FOOT IN ANOTHER BAYVILLE SCHOOL!  THIS SUIT IS DRY-CLEAN ONLY, ******!  _DRY-CLEAN ONLY!!  THOSE LITTLE ***HOLES!"_

            Karen Hyatt was frantically trying to calm him down.  "Principal Cracken!  The students!  They can hear you!  They're standing right there!"

            Cracken looked around at the surprised students.  "Uh…hello…" He said nervously.

            A kindergarten girl piped up.  "Pwincipal Cwacken?  What does '****' mean?"

            He ignored her question, and then announced professionally, "Students, we've decided to close the school early to let it…air out…Please quickly go in and retrieve your belongings, and return to the field."

            Everyone went in, breathing through their mouths and covering their faces with their jackets.  Even then, they couldn't ignore the smell.

            Eventually, when everyone had brought their things outside, the field started smelling awful from, what Keri called "second-hand-stink", on the items.  While the students complained about how miserable they were, the teachers were hard at work, finding rides for the several hundred children at Bayville Elementary.

            After about 40 minutes, a teacher called out, "Jamie Madrox and Keri Smith: your ride's here!"

            "See ya, guys!" Keri called to Miki and James as she picked up her backpack and headed off towards the teachers.

            "Hey, Keri!" James walked up and stopped her.

            "Yea?"

            "Um…would you go with me to the Valentine's Dance on the 13th?" James asked nervously.

            Keri blushed happily.  "Sure!"

            "Okay…uh, see you Monday!"

            "Bye!" Keri skipped off happily, once again forgetting tired she was.  She walked up to the teachers, and met up with Jamie.  They then walked over to the street, where Ororo was waiting for them.  "The Professor told me to come and get you," she explained simply.  She smelled the air, and wrinkled up her nose.  "Your backpacks are going in the trunk!"

            "Sure thing!" Keri did as Ororo instructed, and hopped up in to the front seat.

            "Hey, how come _you_ get shotgun?!" Jamie demanded.

            "'Cause in the real world, the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest!"

            Jamie grumbled something, but got in to the back.

            Just as they closed the door, they heard that same kindergarden girl happily repeating her new word over and over again.

***

            When Logan got back from a motorcycle ride he had been on, he was surprised to see Keri was at the institute, watching TV.

            "What the…what're _you_ donin' home?  It's…" He checked his watch, "…11:30!  Are you sick or somethin'?" He demanded.

            "We had a 'stink-day', so they sent us home," Keri replied casually, as if this kind of thing happened often.

            "A _'stink-day'_?" Logan asked, obviously not comprehending.

            Jamie strolled by, carrying a bowl of popcorn.  "Someone set off stink-bombs, and since everyone could barely breath, they closed the school so it could air-out.  By the way, when did you start wearing a watch?"

            "I have no idea.  But you're jokin' about the stink-bomb thing, right?"

            "If you don't believe us, then smell our backpacks." Keri didn't even look up from the TV.

            "I'll…pass…Is Shaina home, too?"

            "Nah, she had to stay and call the parents to come and get their kids." Jamie sat down on the couch next to Keri and began eating his popcorn.

            Logan rolled his eyes, and walked in to the kitchen.  "Stink-Bombs, huh?" He asked Professor X.

            "Yes, as odd as it sounds," Replied the Professor, an amused smile on his face.

            From the other room, Jamie let out a yelp.  Logan rushed in, and saw that Keri had fallen asleep, and her face had landed in the popcorn bowl.

***

            _Stink-Bombs, two hours worth of whining kids with clueless parents, a trip to the pet store, and to top it off, I have to wear perfume to hide the fact that I smell worse than a two-week-old egg-salad sandwich…Shaina thought bitterly._

            It had taken about two hours to find rides for the students, and it probably wouldn't have taken so long if the parents had been a bit more firm with their children, namely grabbing them by the scruffs of their necks instead of calling them for five minutes when they refused to come.

            Shaina really would've liked to just go straight back to the Institute, but Sailor Chick's catnip mouse had torn, and she really wanted a new one.  And since Shaina was the one with a car and didn't have four kittens who constantly needed her attention, she was the one who had to go get the toy.

            When she got to her car, she noticed something on its hood.  It was small, purple, and shaped like a rounded rectangle.  She picked it up, and flipped it over.

            It was a playing card.  Four of clubs to be precise.

            Shaina examined it closely, but came to the conclusion that it was just a normal playing card.  Anyone could have dropped it.  But _who walks around carrying a deck of cards?_

            Shaina thought for a minute.  The Professor had told her to watch out for the Acolytes, Magneto's henchmen.  Hadn't he mentioned one who used cards?  She abruptly shook her head to clear her thoughts.  She was probably just being paranoid.

***

            "…And then, it was like an explosion!  Except this particular explosion didn't destroy things; it just spreaded deadly waves of stink!" Keri rattled off excitedly.

            "_Spread," Beast corrected._

            Keri passed him the butter.  "Next time, say 'please'."

            It was dinner time at the institute, and Keri was telling the tale of the stink-bombs.  Jamie cut in every so often, but mostly just let her do the talking.

            Keri turned to Shaina.  "You were in the building when the really bad one went off.  What was it like?"

            Shaina folded her arms across her chest.  "It was…unpleasant…" She replied, showing that she didn't find the situation as funny as Keri did.

            Logan playfully hit her on the arm.  "Lighten up, Shaina.  It couldn't have been _that bad!"_

            Shaina then proceeded to tell everyone how horrible it was, but Logan wasn't listening.  He was focusing all of his attention on Rogue.  She had glared at him when he had hit Shaina on the arm, and was now eating her food angrily without looking up at anyone.

            How long had they been fighting for?  Four days?  It had seemed like a lot more, probably because Rogue was good at acting like they had never been friends.  Really, he wanted to make up with her, but two things were keeping him from doing so: (1) His stubbornness, and (2) the fact that she often left the room when he entered it.

            He decided to give it a week, and if she was still angry at him then, then he'd simply corner her (using force, if necessary) and telling her that he was sorry and she should just get the over it.

            When everyone was done eating, Logan checked the chore-chart to clarify that he had dish-duty that night, since he had checked the night before.  To his surprise, he had it with Rogue.

            It wasn't that dish-duty wasn't usually a two person job, but he could've sworn that last time he checked, the chart had said that he had it with Kitty that night.  However, the chart said Kitty was stripping beds the next day with Keri, but wasn't _Rogue_ supposed to do that?  It was as if some one had changed the chart…

            Abruptly, his nose picked up the scent of Keri and Kitty, watching him.  However, when he turned to look at them, he couldn't see them.  Apparently, Keri had turned them both invisible.

            Oh, whatever.  He could sort this out later.  He found Rogue in the living room, reading a book.  "Hey, Rogue, you an' I've got dish-duty tonight."

            Rogue put down her book.  "No, Ah have to strip beds tomorrow."

            Well, at least she wasn't snapping at him.  "That's not what the chore-chart says."

            Rogue gave him an odd look, and then checked the chart.  She gave it an even odder look.  "That's strange…Ah thought…" She rolled her eyes.  "Oh, nevermind."

            When they got in to the kitchen, Logan asked her, "You wanna wash or dry?"

            "Ah don't really care." She sounded as though she had suddenly remembered that they were fighting.

            "In that case, I'll wash." Logan decreed.  He turned on the faucet, and water poured in to the sink.

            "Whatever…" Rogue commented as she picked up a towel.

            They worked in silence for a while, him washing and her drying.  However, the quiet was suddenly shattered when Rogue dropped a plate and it smashed on the floor.

            Logan jumped slightly from the crash, but regained his composure and got on his hands and knees and began picking up the broken pieces (who needs a broom, anyway?).  Rogue did the same.

            About five seconds later, Logan noticed twin drops of something dark and wet on the floor.  He didn't know what it was, but when he looked up, he saw that Rogue was crying, and her tears were mixing with her dark eye makeup and running down her face.  Then, they fell on the floor, thus creating the spots.

            "Rogue?  You OK, kid?" He asked awkwardly, letting the pieces of plate that he had been holding fall back down to the ground.

            Rogue sniffled, dropped her pieces of plate, and wiped her eyes on her transparent sleeve.  "Ah…Ah just…"

            "You what?" He sat up, so he was now on his knees.

            Rogue sniffled again.  "Ah just can't take it anymore…not bein' able to touch people, an' fightin' with you, an'--an'…stuff…"

            Logan scooted in close to her and put his hand on the back of her head.  "I'm sorry, kid.  I wish I could tell you somethin' better than, 'life's tough, then you die', but I really can't.  Honestly, though, I hate us fightin', too."

            Rogue looked at him.  "Then can we stop?  Ah know Ah've been actin' weird, lately, but it's…it's hormones, Ah guess…"

            "Right.  As of now, you an' I've officially made up.  But hold on, why're you suddenly upset about not bein' able to touch people?"

            She sighed.  "Ah guess not talkin' to you made me think.  But Ah'll never really be able to get close to someone, or have kids…Ah just wish that ah could control mah power!  Kitty doesn't go through every object she comes in contact with, an' Shaina can control what she cracks and what she doesn't, an' Bobby doesn't freeze everything he touches, so why does anyone who touches mah skin faint?!  It's not fair!"

            Logan silently watched Rogue rant, and when she paused, he cut in.  "_Life_ ain't fair, kid.  Yea, your situation sucks.  But you can go around it.  You wear gloves, an' long sleeves, so it's not too bad…"

            "It's just not the same…Ah just miss…the touch…"

            Logan scooted in closer to her, and with a jolting feeling, he realized that their knees were touching.

            Rogue seemed to notice too, and she looked up at him, confusion in her eyes…

***

            Meanwhile, Keri and Kitty were in the living room.

            "I've reached a conclusion!" Keri announced, while Kitty braided her hair.

            "And that is…?"

            Keri sighed.  "That changing the chore-chart was either my best idea ever, or the worst thing that I've ever done.  I mean, what if instead of making up, they—ouch, that's pulling!—just get in to another fight and hate each other even more?"

            "I doubt it," Kitty replied.  "Like, hand me the elastic, will you?"

            Keri handed it to her, and then said, "I suppose you're right.  Not speaking is just killing them both, you can tell.  Oh, and thanks for helping me change the chart."

            "It's no problem.  All I had to do is, like, get a blank document on the computer, retype the list with your changes, and match the fonts.  Nothing to it.  Do you want me to braid the other side?"

            "If you please…" Suddenly, Keri stood up.  "No, hold that thought.  I'm just gonna go check on them.  Ya know, just to make sure that they're not destroying everything in the kitchen."  She walked off, singing to herself, "Barbie.com!  First ask Dad or Mom!" As she passed, Scott gave her an odd look, but Keri just kept walking.

            Finally, she reached the kitchen.  She took a deep breath, went invisible, and poked her head in.

            Logan and Rogue were kneeling on the floor, with pieces of what seemed to be broken plate strewn about.  However, Keri was shocked to see that the two's knees were touching, and they were staring in to each others eyes.

            Keri yanked her head back, and leaned against the wall with a dazed look on her face.  It seemed that her plan had worked (although she didn't know what the deal was with the broken plate)…

            Now, her only concern was that it had worked to well, and Rogue was going to reveal her secret.

***

            Rogue didn't know what to do.  One minute, they weren't speaking, then she was pouring her heart out to him, and suddenly, they were so close that their knees were touching.

            It occurred to her that now was a good time to tell him what she had wanted to tell him on New Year's day.  They were alone, they had just made up from a big argument, and they were staring at each other.

            But when she looked in to his brandy eyes, she just couldn't.  It as if her tongue was numb, and if she attempted to talk, she would babble incoherently.  She guessed her wish hadn't worked.

            Logan scooted backwards slightly.  "Uh…"

            _Great, there goes mah chance! Rogue thought furiously.  It was then that she noticed that the sink was overflowing, and a mixture of water and suds were cascading downward and onto the floor._

            Rogue's jaw dropped.  _"_Logan___!  Ya didn't shut off the water?!"_

"The water?" He asked.  He looked upward, and saw the mess.  "Oh, GAH!"  He snapped up, and shut it off.  "Great.  Now, all we have to do is clean up the—" He was interrupted when he shifted his weight, and slipped.  He landed hard on his butt.  "OW…"

            Rogue giggled, and stood up.  She slipped, as well, but Logan caught her.

            "I thought vampires could walk on water," He commented.

            Rogue giggled again.  "_That's witches."_

            Logan tried to stand up again.  This time, he managed to grab on to the sink to steady himself.  Chuckling about the stupidity of the situation, he grabbed Rogue's hand and pulled her up.  "So, whaddya propose we do now?" He asked her.

            "Me?  Ah'm not the one who left the water on!  But Ah guess that we should just clean it up now."

            "Right."

            The two let go of each other, and turned to get a towel for the floor.  They made it about one step before they slipped once more.

            They were friends again.


	10. A Pair of Opposite Twins

Chapter Ten:

A Pair of Opposite Twins

_January 27_

            Word spread quickly that Rogue and Logan had made-up from their argument.  Although almost no one knew what they were fighting about in the first place, both of them were much more pleasant to be around now.

            With this thought in mind, Keri and Rogue were having a familiar verbal exchange:

            You gotta!" Insisted Keri.

            "No," Answered Rogue.

            "You gotta!"

            "No."

            "You gotta!"

            "No."

            "You gotta!"

            "No."

            "You gotta!"

            "No."

            "You gotta!"

            "NO."

            "You gotta!"

            "NO!"

            "You gotta!"

            "**_NO!_  Doncha _ever_ get tired of this?!" Rogue snapped.**

            Keri blinked.  "Hello?  I'm eight!  This is what I _do_!"  Suddenly, she held her forehead.  "Whoa…déjà vu!"

            "Yea, Ah think we've had this conversation before.  And it went _exactly_ like that.  Ya know, with my answer bein' 'NO'!" Rogue turned back to the book she was reading.

            Keri wasn't going to give up.  "Look, _maybe it's none of my business.  But I seriously think you should tell Logan how you feel!  If you don't, I have a good feeling that you'll regret it!"_

            "Ah doubt it…I'll tell 'em when Ah'm ready."  Rogue saw Keri's mouth to protest, and she quickly added, "…And that's FINAL."

            "Fine!" Keri rolled her eyes.  "I'm leaving." She strolled out of the room, but poked her head in through the wall a few seconds later.  "Bye-the-way, did you know that your school and my school are having Valentine's Day dances on February 13th?  Which in less than three weeks?" Then, she exited once more.

            Rogue laid on her bed, an intrigued look on her face.

***

            As Keri passed by Shaina's room, she noticed that Shaina was leaning in over her bottom dresser drawer, fussing over something.  Keri realized that the bottom drawer was where Sailor Chicks and her kittens were, so she walked in.  "Shaina?  Is everything alright?"

            Shaina looked up at her with a smile on her face.  "Keri, come see this!"

            Keri looked in to the drawer, and was surprised to see not one pair of green eyes, but two.  The white and silver kitten had opened her eyes.  "Cool!" Keri breathed.  "She looks just like her mother!"

            "I know.  I just noticed a few minutes ago." Shaina's smile faded slightly.  "Though I'm concerned."

            "Why?" Keri looked at the kitten, who seemed to realize that Keri was the same girl who held her back when she couldn't see.

            "It should take at least a week for their eyes to open, and the kittens are only six days old.  I'm worried that since they opened sooner than week, her vision may be impaired.  Though she's responding to movement pretty well…" As she spoke, she swished her finger around in the drawer, and the kitten watched it.  "I want to take her to the vet, but Sailor Chicks is being…disagreeable…"

            Sailor Chicks narrowed her eyes at them, and wrapped a protective paw around her baby.

            "Alright, I get it!" Shaina groaned.  "No touchy!"

            Keri stroked the irritated Sailor Chicks' head.  She seemed to appreciate the gesture.  "So, are you glad that Rogue and Logan aren't fighting anymore?" Asked Keri.

            "You bet," Shaina replied.  "I felt like it was my fault when they were fighting, so now I'm relieved that their argument didn't last long."

            "Yah.  Kinda like when Miki and I fight.  In a day or two, we forget what we're fighting about, and we're friends again."

            "I've noticed," Shaina commented.

            There was a pause, and then Keri stuck her head through the floor.

            "Um, what are you doing?" Shaina asked.

            Keri pulled her head back up.  "I was checking to see what your room is above.  It's the laundry room, by-the-way.  Mine is right above the kitchen, so if I need a midnight snack, then I just drop through the floor and on to the counter.  After I get it, I can just climb up on to the counter, on to the fridge, and then I can pull myself back up into my room."

            "Uh…interesting," Shaina responded, sounding as though she couldn't think of anything better to say.

            At that moment, the doorbell rang.

            "Now who could that be?" Keri asked happily.  She phased through the floor, without even a goodbye.  She landed in a basket of rumpled sheets and clothes that was perched on the washing machine.

            Abruptly, Shaina sprinted in to the laundry room, a shocked look on her face.

            Keri looked at her surroundings.  "Wow, I'm lucky that Jean put her laundry down there!" She realized out loud.

            Shaina blinked.  "Wasn't it there before?"

            "Not when I was checking which room was below yours!" Keri chirped.

            "Wait…so you phased through the floor when you thought that there wasn't anything to break your fall?!  It's like…10 feet!"

            Keri blinked, and smiled.  "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" She then ran out towards the door.  On her way, she did a cartwheel, a round-off, a front flip, a back hand spring, an Arial backflip, landed on her feet, and did a judo move before she opened the door.

            A Fed-Ex driver stood there.  "Package for Keri Smith," He said in a bored voice.

            "I'm Keri Smith!"

            "Sign here," He handed her a clipboard.

            Keri scribbled down her signature, and handed back the clipboard.  She received a large box in return.

***

            Logan was in the kitchen, eating an apple, when he heard Shaina's voice: "Keri, _what is that?"_

            Intrigued, he walked out in to the front hall, and saw that Keri was now the proud owner of a box that was roughly the size a small television.  Logan stood next to Shaina, and commented.  "Yea, what she said."

            Keri grinned.  "I honestly have no idea!" She looked at the return address, and her eyes shined.  "Wait, now I think I know what it is!"

            Kitty walked up and cocked her head at an angle.  "Like, know what _what__ is?"_

            Keri didn't answer, she just phased through the box and disappeared inside.

            Shaina blinked.  "Should we…?"

            Logan shook his head.  "Nah.  She should come out soon.  She has to breath some time…I think…"

            Scott joined.  "Why are you staring at a box?"

            Without warning, Keri phased her torso through, and there was a flash of light.

            "GAH!" Scott let out a yell.  However, they all soon realized that it was a just a camera flash.

            Keri grinned.  "That'll be one for the book!"

            "What book?" Scott asked, blinking through his ruby-quartz sunglasses.  "And why'd you take my picture!  I wasn't ready!"

            "But those are the best ones!  Even though you were making a weird face!  And the book I'm referring to is _this _one, shades!" She triumphantly held out a purple photo album.  "On New Year's Day, I was telling my parents about how there was no way to show them exactly how everything was here, and they told me that they would send me camera and a photo album some time!"

            "Like, cool!" Kitty said.  "What're you gonna take pictures of?"

            "I don't know yet…" Keri replied in a strange voice.  "But I'm sure I'll think of something!" She phased the rest of her body through the box, and skipped off, shedding Styrofoam peanuts all the way.  Abruptly, she stopped, ran back, and grabbed the box.  "_My _box!" She hissed.  Then, she resumed her skipping, still shedding Styrofoam peanuts.

            Shaina watched her go.  "Ya know, that was a pretty big box for just a camera and a photo album…"

            Logan shook his head.  "Yea, well, Keri loves boxes, especially big ones.  And her Mom knows it.  So, she makes a point to always send her large boxes."

            "Uh-huh…Though I fear that our days will now be filled with flashes, embarrassing photos, and Styrofoam Peanuts being dropped on our heads…" Shaina said insightfully.

            Logan couldn't help but agree.

***

_January 28_

            Far to the west, in a place called Appleton, Wisconsin, a thunderstorm was raging outside.

            Inside, however, its inhabitants were asleep, oblivious to the noise.  One of them, a 16-year-old girl named Mary Astronominoff, was having a strange dream.

            She was marching around her house, as if she was in a parade.  When she reached a closed door, she would reach out to open it, but the door would just swing open before she even touched the knob.  She just resumed marching.

            Eventually, she realized that she wasn't the only one in her parade: her stuffed animals (a rabbit, a couple of teddy bears, a dragon, and several others) were marching behind her…or were they?  She looked behind, and realized that they weren't walking; just floating behind her in a straight line.

            She continued her march.  By this time, she no longer had to walk around obstacles, they leapt out of her path by themselves.

            Also, she noticed something: in her house, everything in each room was painted the same color, and the door to the room was that color.  She could tell the colors before they entered the room: red room, blue door; blue room, purple door; Purple room; orange door…

            Finally, they reached white a door that wouldn't open by itself.  Not wanting to interrupt the flow of the parade, Mary hurriedly ran up to it and gave the knob a turn.

            Immediately, she felt a sharp pain in her head, and she suddenly felt like she was inside a tornado.  Everything was spinning around, from the stuffed animals to the furniture in the room.

            Mary was now being lifted off the ground, and the tornado was roaring in her ear.  Her black hair was whipping around, obscuring her vision.

            And with a jolt, Mary awoke from her dream.  She heard someone crying, and then she realized that it was her.  Her dream had been so _strange!  What had it meant?_

            There was a shuffling in the darkness, and then she heard her mother's voice: "Mary?  Are you alright?" She put her hand on Mary's head.

            "I think so, Mom," Mary answered.  "I was just having at nightmare, is all."

            Mary's father squinted in the darkness.  He turned on the light abruptly, and the three of them stared at Mary's room.

            No one would have believed that Mary had cleaned her room the day before.  It looked as though, literally, a tornado hit it, and had spread everything in the room.

            Her parents turned to her, startled.  "Mary?" Her mother asked.

            Mary buried her face in her knees and began to cry.  Somehow, she knew that was a mutant.

***

_January 29_

            Monday morning, Cerebro went off: there had been a discovery of two new mutants.

            Professor X, Beast, and Logan watched the monitor for the details:

            _"Mutant discovery one," Said the computer's voice as it showed a picture of a teenage girl with long, black hair with purple bangs, gray eyes, and goth-looking clothes.  __"Name: Mary Astronominoff.  Residence: _Appleton___, __Wisconsin__.  Age: 16.  Identical twin sister of Mutant Discovery number Two."_

            Logan leaned in and got a better look at Mary.  "Somethin' tells me that she and Rogue would get along well."

            Beast chuckled.  "I agree."

            The picture changed, showing the other mutant.  What it had said was true, the two girls had to be twins; their faces, eyes, and hair color were identical, although the second girl's hair was tied in to pigtails and was purple-free.  However, she was dressed much differently, in a sleeveless shirt, a miniskirt, fishnet tights, and sandals.  _"Mutant discovery two,"  Said the computer.  __"Name: Susan DéReal.  Residence: __Appleton__, __Wisconsin__.  Age: 16."_

            Beast squinted at the screen.  "Wait a minute…if they're twins, why do they have different surnames?"

            "Maybe their parents are divorced, and they each live with a different parent," Logan suggested.

            "It could be." The Professor sounded like he honestly didn't know the answer to Beast's question.

            Beast looked at Professor Xavier.  "So, what do you propose we do, Charles?"

            "We need to make contact with the girls as soon as possible.  I think that we should use the same approach that we used when we met Kitty for the first time.  Though in this case, bringing Rogue as well as Jean would be a good approach."

            "I bet I know why," Logan sighed, as he examined the differences between the girls.

            Keri strolled in to the room, trying to pat down her hair, which was standing on end.  "Hey, Professor, as much as I hate tattle-taleing, I think that there's something that you should know…RAY WAS ABUSING HIS POWERS!" She said the last five words very dramatically.

            "Whaddya mean?" Logan sighed.

            "Well, he said to me real snappish, 'Keri, better not have eaten the last of the Cocoa Puffs®!'  And So I said, 'You think you own _all_ the Cocoa Puffs®!  Well, ya don't, OK, Ray?  Ya just _don't_.'  And then he zapped my hair and made it all static-ey!  Can you believe it?!"  Her attention fell on Cerebro's computer monitor, and the images of Mary and Susan.  "Who are they?" She asked excitedly.  "Are they mutants?"

            "Yes.  I'm going to ask Jean and Rogue to come with me to make contact with them," The Professor explained.

            "Wait, so we've never had any form of contact with them?"

            "No."

            An evil grin appeared on Keri's face, and she turned to Beast.  "Mr. McCoy, you remember that bargain we made a week ago or so?"

            Beast's face fell.  "Um…"

            "What bargain?" Asked Logan suspiciously.

            "It's…uh…well…" Beast stammered, but Keri cut in.

            "Mr. McCoy said about a week ago that if I got more than a 100% on my next math test, I could come the next time we meet a mutant that lives far away…even if it means cutting school!  And it just so happened that on the next math test that I was given, I got a 103%  So looks like I'm going to…" She leaned in and looked at the monitor.  "Wisconsin!  I'll do you all a favor and tell Rogue and Jean that we're going.  And when should I tell them is our departure time?"

            The Professor sighed.  "In one hour."

            "Right!" Keri skipped off, singing something about Wisconsin being "the land of cows and cheese".

            The three were silent for a few seconds, and then Logan and Professor X looked at Beast.

            Beast suddenly became interested in his fingernails.  About a bit, he looked up and said indignantly, "How was _I supposed to know that her next math test would have a bonus question?!"_

***

            When Mary was a toddler, she remembered hearing voices.

            Sometimes they were rogue voices, and sometimes there would be conversations.  Sometimes, they were people she knew.  It didn't seem so strange, but then she'd look up and see that she was alone of that everyone around her was silent.

            This terrified her at first, but after a while, she got used to it.  And eventually, she stopped hearing the voices altogether.

            However, this morning, she was too busy to think about this, or the fact that she may indeed be a mutant…she just needed to get to school on time, which was particularly difficult, thanks to Mrs. Astronominoff.

            "Are you _sure you want to go to school today, Mary?" Asked her mother, a serial-worrier._

            "MOM!" Mary groaned.  "Yes, I'm sure!  I have things to do!  Besides, I really need to talk to Susan."

            Mrs. Astronominoff stiffened.  "Susan?  But, Mary, every time you talk to her, you end up upset."

            "I know…" Mary looked a bit upset right now.  "But we're twins.  If I've got these…talents, maybe she'll have them, too.  I'll see you this afternoon." Mary picked up her backpack, and headed out the door.

            "Call me if you want to go home!" Called Mrs. Astronominoff.

            "Right, Mom," Sighed Mary.  She began her walk to school.

            The storm last night had left puddles on the ground and mist in the air.  No matter.  Mary loved rain, especially its scent.  Though she didn't care for puddles, or the muddy water that filled her shoes when she stepped in one.

            It was hard for her to concentrate on such little things at a time like this.  The tornado in her room had really startled her, but she was particularly afraid of the fact that she may be a mutant.  She was enough of an outcast at school, and a condition like _that _certainly wouldn't help.

            One thing was for certain: she _had_ to talk to Susan.

            She arrived at school about five minutes before the bell rang, so a lot of the students were outside on the front lawn.  Mary's gray eyes scanned the area, and then fell on a popular-looking boy.  She approached him, took a deep breath, and tapped him on the shoulder.  "Ross?"

            He turned around, and curled his lip.  "Oh, it's _you.  I thought was Susan."_

            "Yea, about her…Do you know where she is?"

            "Sorry, I don't speak dork," he sneered.

            Mary sighed.  "Ross, it's really important."

            Just then, the bell rang, and Mary was swept in by the rush of students.

***

            Meanwhile, Professor Xavier, Rogue, Jean, and Keri had been on their flight to Wisconsin for the past hour.

            "Are we there _yet_?" Keri groaned.

            Rogue, who had been listening to CD's for a while, looked at her, and then took off her headphones.  "What?"

            "I said, 'Are we there yet?'"

            "No," Rogue replied simply.

            Keri rolled her eyes and reclined her seat back.  "Man, if I'd had known that it was gonna take this long, I woulda gone to school!  There is absolutely _nothing_ to do!"

            "Sorry, runt.  Ridin' the X-Jet's part of the experience."

            "I've got cabin fever!" Keri moaned.  "I'm going to lose my mind!"  Suddenly, she turned her neck at a 45° angle and said in a demonic voice that wasn't her own, "_And when I lose my mind, I go **craaaazzyyyy**…"_

            They were interrupted by the sound of a microwave dinging.

            Keri snapped back to her regular self.  "Ooh, my taquitos are done!" She skipped off towards the back of the X-Jet.

            Rogue watched her go, and put back on her headphones, thinking to herself, _And__ people think ah'm weird…_

***

            Mary was at her locker, getting her things for first period geometry.  She looked in the mirror located on the door, and just barely caught two popular girls pointing to her and giggling.

            She paused for a minute, and inhaled softly.  Then, she continued getting her things, and started her walk to class.

            Things like that weren't uncommon to Mary.  She was used to being teased, what with her being smart, quiet, and bad a team sports.  The fact that she almost always wore clothing deemed "goth" by the rest of the world and had her bangs dyed purple didn't really help the situation, either.  But Mary's motto had always been, "Being the same as everyone else is the same as being a nobody," so her odd style stayed.  But why did people have to tease her?

            When she got to class and took her seat, she remembered their test this morning.  So, while everyone else was chattering to each other, she pulled out her book, and began studying.  She had already studied all weekend, but it never hurt to look it over right before the test.

            Just as the tardy bell rang, their teacher, Mr. Doxon, walked in.  "Alright, everyone.  Settle down."

            The students quietly finished their conversations, and then took their seats.

            Mr. Doxon nodded.  "Great.  Now, let's get to work!  Time for that test I promised last week."

            At that moment, Ross strolled in casually and sat down.

            Mr. Doxon narrowed his eyes.  "You're late, Mr. Langely."

            "Am I?" Ross asked, sounding as though he didn't care.

            The teacher rolled his eyes, and continued.  "Start when you get your paper, and turn it in when you're finished."  He grabbed the papers, and handed a small stack to the people at the front of the row of desks.  Those people then passed the papers back, until everyone in the room had one.

            Mary got to work, and, unsurprisingly, found most of the questions easy.  She ended up finishing about 10 minutes before everyone else.  She handed in her test to her teacher, who grinned at her.  "First again, eh, Mary?"

            "Yessir," she replied, and shuffled back to her seat.  She sat down and tried to come up with ways to amuse herself while all of the other students finished their test.  She had left her book in her locker, so she had nothing to do.  As she stared at the wood patterns on her desk, a haze filled her mind…

_            Without warning, Ross ripped her paper out of her hand.  "Another A+, huh?!  Get a life, Astronominoff!"_

            Mary jumped, and looked at Ross.  To her surprise, he was still working on his test, and looking like it was giving him trouble.

            There was no indication that Ross had ever stolen her paper, or that Mary had even gotten her paper back yet.

            Mary wrinkled her nose up.  _OK, that was weird… She thought to herself.  __Was I having a hallucination, or something?_

            After a few more minutes, Mr. Doxon gave the class their assignment, which they worked on for the rest of the period.  A few minutes before the bell rang, he handed back their tests.  Mary was not surprised when she saw that she her paper had on it a red A+ on it.

            Next to her, Ross groaned.  Mary stole a look at his paper, and saw that he had recived an "F", along with the notice : "You could do better!"

            Mary would've smirked, but that wasn't her style.  That was more of a Susan thing to do.

            Susan.  She would have to look for her.  They didn't have any classes together, so her best hope was catching her at lunch.

            Mary suddenly heard Ross groan.  She turned to him, and saw him glaring daggers at her.  "May I help you?" Mary asked coolly.

            Without warning, Ross ripped her paper out of her hand.  "Another A+, huh?!  Get a life, Astronominoff!"

            Mary was about to comment about how there was no reason to be jealous, but she jolted when she realized that what had happened was exactly what she had seen in her daydream.

            At that moment, the bell rang, and the students filed out of the classroom.

***

            "Well, here we are," Professor Xavier commented.

            Professor X, Jean, Rogue, and Keri, stood on the stoop of a friendly-looking house.

            Jean sighed.  "Well, I hope that this goes better than when we were meeting Kitty…"

            "We'll just have to see," Sighed the Professor, and he rang the doorbell.

            There was a pause, and then the door was opened by a middle-aged woman with light orange hair and brown eyes.  "Yes?"

            "Mrs. Astronominoff?"  Asked the Professor.  "Good day.  I'm—"

            Mary's mother finished for him.  "—Charles Xavier, of the Xavier institute."  She smiled slightly.  "I had a feeling that I would be hearing from you before long."

            Professor Xavier returned her smile.  "My reputation proceeds me."

            Mrs. Astronominoff opened the door further.  "Well, come in."

            The four padded indoors, and found that the inside of the house was warm and welcoming.

            "Can I get anyone some chips, or pretzels?" Asked Mary's mother.

            Keri raised her hand.  "You got anything sugary?"

            "NO SUGAR," Ordered the three other X-Men.

            Keri's expression dulled.  "OK, I'll just have some pretzels."

            Mrs. Astronominoff giggled.  "I see if we have any cookies.  Miss…?"

            Professor Xavier cleared his throat, and gestured to the three girls.  "I'm sorry, this is Jean Gray, Rogue, and Keri Smith."

            "Well, then, Keri, I'll see what we have.  You four, wait here, and make yourself at home." She disappeared in to the kitchen.

            Jean turned to the Professor.  "Well, this is certainly easier than I thought it would be…"

            "Same here," Replied the Professor.

            Rogue looked at the various pictures framed on the wall, and one specifically caught her eye: it was a family portrait, that looked like it had been taken a few years ago.  It showed a who had to be Mrs. Astronominoff, a man with red hair and blue eyes, and a young girl with soft gray eyes and long, black hair.  The man was probably Mary's father, and the girl _had_ to be Mary.

            But as Rogue looked at the picture, she noticed that Mary didn't look like her parents.  Not then, and, judging by the picture used by Cerebro, not now.

            Mrs. Astronominoff strolled in, bringing a bowl of cookies with her.  "Help yourself," she commented as she put it on the table.

            While Keri began scarfing down cookies, Professor Xavier began.  "Mrs. Astronominoff, I think that you know why we're here."

            Mrs. Astronominoff sighed and nodded.  "Mary began exhibiting strange behavior when she was a toddler, though she eventually grew out of it…until about six months ago…And last night…well, that took the cake."

            The Professor put his fingers together.  "What exactly do you mean by, 'strange behavior'?"

            "Oh, things like claiming that she hadn't made the mess in her room.  I know that sounds like normal toddler behavior, but the thing is, I _believed_ her, because her room had been clean only minutes before.  It would have been impossible for her to make such an enormous mess in that span of time.  Also, she often talked about hearing voices in her head.  And finally, when she started school, she kept having déjà vu when teachers were explaining things."

            Professor Xavier nodded.  "It sounds as though she has been subconsciously aware of her power for quite some time."

            Keri piped up.  "Kinda like me!  I discovered my powers when I was two!  Only I _kept _using my power."

            Mrs. Astronominoff smiled at her.  "And just what _are your powers?"_

            Keri stuck her hand through the table.  "Oh…" She feigned thinking, and then turned invisible.  "…This and that."

            "Show-off," Rogue muttered.

***

            Meanwhile, back at Appleton High School, Mary was having locker problems.

            She wasn't too concerned: there were seven more minutes in the passing period, and since her next class was PE, she had an extra five minutes to change.

            It was, however, annoying.

            After five minutes and several verbal threats, the locker opened, and Mary hurriedly grabbed her clothes for PE that had been washed over the weekend.

            As she made her way down the hall, she was thinking about how weird things had been lately.

            _Well, so what __if I'm a mutant?  It'd be cool, I guess…And no one has to know…_

            Abruptly, she crashed in to someone rounding the same corner as she was.

            "Watch it!" The other person snapped in a voice that sounded much like Mary's.

            Mary was just about to say, "Well, you _were_ walking on the wrong side of the hall," but she recognized the voice.  She looked up and another girl who looked exactly like her, except for her hairstyle and her clothes.

            She had finally found Susan.

***

            "Mrs. Astronominoff, are you familiar with a girl named Susan Déreal?" Asked Professor Xavier.

            Mrs. Astronominoff's smile faded.  "Susan Déreal?"

            "Yes," Clarified the Professor.

            Keri piped up.  "Ya know?  Mary's height…Mary's weight…Mary's _identical twin_?"

            "Yes…I know Susan…" Mrs. Astronominoff sighed.

            "Does she live here?  Cerebro—that's our mutant detection program—says that she's Mary's twin sister."

            "Yes, she is," Mrs. Astronominoff put her hands in her lap.

            "Does she live with your husband…err…provided that you're divorced?" Jean tried.

            "No."

            "Is she dead?" Rogue asked rather bluntly.

            "No."

            "Is she really a version of Mary from a parallel dimension who has somehow stumbled in to our dimension and is bent on destroying Mary and taking over her life?" Keri rattled off.

            Everyone looked at her.

            Keri glared at them.  "Hey, it could happen!"

            "Those were all good guesses…except for Keri's…" Commented Mary's mom.

            Keri scowled.

            Mrs. Astronominoff's eyes traveled to the family portrait on the wall.  "You see, Mary isn't really my daughter.  My husband and I…we adopted her when she was three months old.  But the people at the orphanage said that she did have a twin sister, though this sister had already been adopted.

            "Anyway, when Mary was 13, we found out that a new family that had just moved to town…and their daughter was Mary's twin sister, Susan.  We arranged a meeting, so the sisters could finally see each other…" Her voice trailed off.

            "And then…?" Encouraged Professor Xavier.

            "Well…it didn't quite work out quite like we had planned.  It turns out that Susan was snotty, stuck-up, and really didn't care about seeing Mary.  It didn't go well."

            Keri looked up from her cookie.  "Harsh!" She commented.

            Mrs. Astronominoff "And, unfortunately, now that the two of them go to the same school, it's hard for Mary to avoid her."

            Abruptly, the phone rang.

            "Excuse me," Mrs. Astronominoff chimed as she stepped over, and picked up the white, plasic phone.  "Hello?"  She listened in for a few moments, and then covered the speaking-end of the phone.  "It's my husband," she notified Professor Xavier.  She turned back to the phone.  "Hi, honey…Oh, really?  Well, come home, and I'll make you a new one."  She paused for a minute, and then said, "On second thought…you might want to stay home.  You'll never guess who stopped by…"

***

            "Susan!" Mary yelped, standing up.

            Susan rolled her eyes.  "Yea…Ya wanna get out of my way?"

            Mary shook her head.  "Susan, I wanna talk to you!" She said.

            Susan leaned down to pick up her things, the hem of her miniskirt hiking up.  As she tugged it down, she replied.  "What a coincidence: 'cause I _don't_ wanna talk to you!"

            It was Mary's turn to roll her eyes.  She got down on her hands and knees to pick her things up  "Look, Susan, it's more of a need than a want."

            Susan groaned.  "Alright, this had better be good."

            Mary nodded.  "Have you been experiencing any err…sudden changes?"

            "_What?"_

            Mary sighed.  "Alright, I put it simply: I think I'm a mutant."

            Susan blinked.  "…So?"

            "So, if we're identical twins, and _I _have a mutant power, wouldn't it be logical that _you _have a mutant power, too?"

            Susan gave a short, mean laugh.  "Heh heh…I don't think so.  Just because _you're a freak doesn't mean I am."_

            Trying to brush off Susan's snub, Mary replied coolly, "Thank you for your time." She turned on her heel, and walked off.

            Susan watched her go, and noticed a quarter laying on the ground.  She picked it up, and stared at it.  Then, when she was sure that Mary was out of sight, she clenched it in her fist and concentrated.

            As casual as you please, she opened her palm, and dropped in her pocket four identical quarters.

***

            "…So, this Institute…it's where mutants learn to control their powers?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.

            Professor Xavier nodded.  "Yes.  That is out goal.  We at the institute believe that humans and mutants can co-exist in peace as long as mutants have a handle on their powers.

            Rogue chuckled.  "That should go on the pamphlet, Professor."

            Keri turned to her. "QUIET OR I SHALL EAT YOUR HEART WITH A SMALL SIDE-SALAD!" She roared in a demonic voice.

            Jean put her hand over Keri's mouth.  "OK, that's enough sugar for _you_…" She said sweetly.  She looked at the Astronominoffs.  "Really, she's harmless.  It's the cookies talking."

            "Maybe we ought to continue this conversation outside…away from things breakable…" Suggested Mrs. Astronominoff.

            The Professor looked at Keri, who's leg was twitching.  "Agreed."

            The group made their way to the back porch, and Keri instantly began running around in the yard.

            "So Dark Elf…" Rogue commented.

            It had been about 25 minutes, and Mr. Astronominoff had come home so he could be part of the discussion.  He seemed to be interested in the institute, though hesitant of the idea of sending Mary there.

            "So, it'd kinda be like boarding school, huh?" He clarified.  "I mean, she'd come home over Summer and Christmas?

            "And Spring Break!" Jean added.

            As Jean and the Professor chatted with the Astronominoffs, Rogue was deep in thought.  _Would Ah have gotten something like this if Mystique hadn't messed with mah mind? She questioned.  __Would Professor and Little-Miss-Perfect have come and talked to Irene?_

            The best answer that she can could come up with was "perhaps."

            Rogue rubbed her purple-clad arms.  She could still remember the night.  What was that boy's name?  Cody, or at least something along those lines…she had touched him, and had gone to his house.

            And then she met up with Logan.

            Well, it was really Mystique disguised as Logan, but she didn't know that at the time.

            When did she really meet him for the first time?  What did she think of him?  When exactly did they become friends?

            Why was she thinking about him right now?

            Rogue sighed.  _So maybe that's how bad it is now…I can be thinkin' about somethin' that only partially includes him, and then mah focus shifts over to him._

She shifted her weight in her chair.  _And every time Ah think of him, Ah get sad, 'cause it'll never happen.  I'm just a kid, and I can't touch people to boot._

            Abruptly, Rogue felt a hand on her arm.  And then, Keri's voice said.  "You're thinking about him, aren't 'cha?"

            "SHH!" Rogue shushed.  She looked over to the four others, who didn't seem to notice them.  "Keep yer voice down when ya talk about that stuff!  If Red found out mah secret, ah'd never live it down!"

            _ Keri sighed.  "Whatever you say.  Though if I may offer a suggestion: tell him before it's too late."_

            Rogue glared at her.  "Doncha have circles to run around in?"

            Keri's eyes shot open.  "Oh, my gosh!  You're right!" With that, she sped off and began running around the yard again.

            One again, Rogue found herself thinking, _And_ people think ah'm weird…__

***

            It had been 40 minutes since Mary's meeting with Susan, and she was outside for P.E.  They were playing softball, and Mary was playing outfield.

            _Way _outfield.

            Mary was bad at team sports, so (after she was chosen last for teams) she usually got saddled up with the crummy positions.  However, this gave Mary plenty of time to think.

            _Susan's lying, I think…She told herself.  __Since we're identical twins, we  have the same genes.  So wouldn't we both be mutants?  And would we have the same powers?  But what are __my powers?_

            In the distance, the unmistakable _crack _of a bat hitting a softball could be heard.

            Mary, however, was lost in thought.  _Why would Susan lie about being a mutant? She rolled her eyes.  __Duh!  She answered her own question.  __Everyone hates mutants.  It's like they're all convicts or something…_

            Had Mary been paying attention, she would have heard another player yell, "It's going in to the outfield!"

            _Who was that guy who had that institute for mutants?  Something Xavier, I think…I wonder if he's gonna come and talk to me about his institute?  Should I go and live there?_

            "Who's in the outfield!?"

            "I think it's Astronominoff!"

            "ASTRONOMINOFF, GET THE BALL!"

            Mary was snapped out of her trance, and saw the softball hurtling towards her.  From multiple personal experiences, Mary knew two things: (1) She couldn't catch, and (2) Softballs hurt.  So, out of reflex, she held her hands out to shield her face.  She waited for the impact.

            That didn't happen.  Instead, the ball made a 180° turn, hurled off towards the second-basewoman, who caught it.  "That's three outs!" She cheered.  "Our turn at bat!"

            At that moment, the coach then blew her whistle, signaling that class was over.  The girls trotted back inside, and the coach followed.

            Mary, however, stood there.  She was contemplating what had just happened.

            She turned around, walked across the field, climbed over the fence, and off of school grounds.

            It wasn't as though she was cutting school.  It was her lunch time, and a lot of kids went home for lunch.  Although the school _did keep a close tally on kids who went home, and were supposed to get a pass, in case you were stopped by the truant officer.  Plus, Mary was supposed to buy her lunch._

            Ok, maybe she _was_ cutting school.  But she needed some time to think, some time alone.

            And that was how she found herself wandering around downtown Appleton.  At one point, she thought she saw the truant officer's car, so she ducked in to a nearby ally.  

***

            Unknown to her but known to us, she was being watched from the top of the neighboring building.

            "Izzat the one we want?" Asked Todd.

            Pietro shook his head.  "Nah.  You can tell by her hair."

            Lance turned to him.  "Alright, Pietro: Spill it.  Why does your Dad want one and not the other?"

            Pietro shrugged.  "I dunno.  He just told me that he wanted the one with pigtails.  We're only supposed to get the other one after we've gotten her."

            Wanda rolled her eyes.  "Tell me, do 'they' have names?"

            Pietro racked his brain.  "Yea…uh, the one we want is…something that begins with an S…Susan!  That's it!  The other one's…well, she doesn't matter…"

            Todd piped up.  "Well, one things for sure: we gotta get to Susan before them X-Geeks get her!"

            Wanda rolled her eyes again.  "You're _sooo_ eager…" She commented.

            Todd grinned.  "Aw, no need to be jealous, Wanda-kins!  You know you're the only woman for me!" He wrapped his arms around her waist in a tight hug.

            Wanda's eyes narrowed.  "_Be gone…" She hissed._

***

            Normally, Mary would have probably felt a thrill cutting school, but she was too preoccupied by her thoughts to notice.  She attracted several stares, probably because it was about 12:15, and teenagers her age should be in school.  No one said anything, however, and that was just fine with her.

            Suddenly, a jolt surged through her body, and everything seemed to slow down…

_            Without warning, a toolbox came down with a CRASH, about an inch from Mary's foot._

_            "Are you OK?!" One of the construction guys called from where they were working._

            Mary blinked her eyes to clear her sight.  It was just like when she was in geometry, except this vision was different.  _So, what does that mean? _She wondered.  _Is this going to come true, as well?_

            About five minutes later, she realized that wandering around wasn't going to help her situation.  What she needed to do was talk to her parents about these…changes…she was going through.

            Without thinking about it, she had wandered over to a crosswalk.  She noticed that the stoplight was getting fixed.  She pressed the button to turn on the "walk" sign.

            Without warning, a toolbox came down with a CRASH, about an inch from Mary's foot.

            "Are you OK?!" One of the construction guys called from where they were working.

            "Um…yea…" Mary replied softly.

            Mary considered what had just gone down.  Alright, now she was 94% sure she was a mutant.  Of course, this _could just be a weird dream.  Then again, what if she…_

            Mary wandered in to the street and was almost hit by a car.  As the driver swore at her and sped away, she decided that now wasn't a good time to contemplate this.

***

            "Is she gonna be OK?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.

            Jean stroked Keri's head, which was resting in her lap.  "Oh, yes.  She does this all of the time."

            Apparently, Keri had finished the "up" of her sugar rush when she ran around in circles, and was now experiencing the "down" part, in the form of falling asleep as soon as she sat down.

            "Ah don't think you're comin with us again," Rogue whispered in Keri's ear.

            "Who's 'us'?" Keri asked, her eyes still closed.

            Rogue blinked.  "Ah thought you were asleep."

            Keri rolled over.  "I am; don't bother me."

            Mrs. Astronominoff smiled.  "I see that your students are all very different, though they all live together in harmony."

            Rogue shrugged.  "We're not harmonious all tha tahme, though we do get ahlong pretty well…usually…"

            "Let's put it this way: we only fight when we're not getting along.  OK?" Keri commented.

            Jean looked down at her.  "Are you _sure you're asleep?"_

            Keri nodded.  "Positive."

            The Professor decided that now would be a good time to change the subject.  "I think that the best course of action would be to talk to Mary and see how she feels about her gifts and what she would like to do."

            Keri sat up.  "Absolutely!  Therefor, we must summon Mary home from school, have a snack, and have a long, drawn out conversation.  With luck, she won't shun us or leave us hanging like Evan did.  As for Susan, let's put her clear out of our mind right now.  We need to give Mary our undivided attention."  Without missing a beat, she turned to Mrs. Astronominoff.  "May I use your bathroom?"

            Mrs. Astronominoff blinked.  "…Sure…Lemme show you where it is."  She took Keri's hand, and the two disappeared in to the house.

            The remaining four sat out there in silence for a few seconds.  Then, Rogue thought out loud what everyone was probably thinking:

            "_Who picks the mutants?!"_

***

            Mary made it back to school about five minutes before the end of lunch.  Once again, she wasn't worried about the scheduling, because she had 45 minutes of study hall right after.  The teacher didn't care what you did as long as you were quiet about it, so Mary intended to just buy her lunch in the cafeteria and eat in study hall.

            However, just to make sure she didn't get in trouble, she was sure to go over the softball field and through the girl's locker room.  She was going to change in to her regular clothes, but when she saw that one of the coaches was doing an inspection of the locker room, Mary left in a huff.  The rest of her plan worked, though.  By the time the dismissal bell rang, Mary had purchased a slice of pizza, an apple, and a soda.  And, just as she planned, the teacher didn't bat an eye when she brought her food in to the classroom.

            10 minutes later, she had finished her lunch, and she went up to the teacher.  "Mrs. Zita?"

            "Yes?" She responded, looking up from her magazine.

            "Can I…use the restroom?"

            She checked the clock.  "Sure.  But next time, go before class.  'K?"

            Mary nodded.  "I will." She grabbed the wooden hall pass, and walked down to the girl's locker room.

            Mary's luck took a turn for the worse: Her locker was jammed., due to a book pressed up against the mechanism.  She would have to get a key from the coaches.  "Great!" She groaned.  "I'm stuck in my gym clothes all day!"

            She scooted out of the locker room, and walked halfway down to her study hall class.  She ducked in to the girl's bathroom…

            …Just in time to see Susan departing from one of the stalls.

            Mary turned to her.  "Shouldn't you be in Athletics?" She asked.

            Susan rolled her eyes.  "Yea, though when I heard that we were going to jog a mile, I told the Coach that I had a stomachache.  The idiot actually bought it!"

            Mary rolled her eyes, as well.

            "Hey, look," Susan commanded.  "We're wearing the same outfits."

            Mary looked, and sure enough, they were both wearing white T-shirts with a blue Appleton High School logo, navy pants, and sneakers.  "Interesting…"

            Susan flipped her hair back.  "Well, nice try, but you really can't pull this look off."  With that, she departed.

            Mary groaned loudly.  "_'You can't pull this looks off'!" She mocked out loud.  "We look exactly the same!"_

            Except for the hair…Maybe that was it…

            "Oh, I am _so not going to take her seriously!" She assured herself.  Still…she searched the sink and stalls, and sure enough, she found two ponytail holders.  Then, she pulled her hair in to twin pigtails._

            Except for her purple bangs, she looked exactly like Susan.

            Freaky.

            Mary checked her watch, and found that she had been "going to the bathroom" for at least five minutes.  The teacher would probably send someone to check on her in a soon.

            But as she was about to walk out, another girl strolled in.  This new girl had short, black hair with the sides painted red, blue eyes, heavy make-up, and was wearing a strange outfit.  Her eyes narrowed at Mary.  "You're coming with me," She said.

            Mary blinked.  "…Excuse me?"

            "You're coming with us, Susan!"

            Mary blinked.  "Wait…you want _Susan?"_

            "Come on!" She grabbed Mary's hand and began pulling her out of the bathroom.

            Mary jerked free.  "Hold it!  You've got the wrong—"

            The girl was getting angry.  As her expression changed, the metal walls of the bathroom stalls vibrated.

            Mary recognized her at once.  "Hold it!  You're one of those mutants I saw on TV a while back!  Um…what was your name?  Red Sorceress?"

            "Scarlet Witch!" She corrected.  She flexed her fingers, and a blue wave hovered around her hands and wrists.  "And if you know who I am, then you know not to mess with me!  Now let's get going before I get angry!"

            Mary backed off slowly.  "Uh, no thanks…I gotta take a test next period…"

             "RRAAGGG!" Scarlet Witch roared, and aimed her hands at Mary.  The blue wave hurled towards her.

            "YEEK!" Mary screamed.  She rolled out of the way just in time, letting the blue wave hit the feminine needs dispenser behind her.  The machine smashed, and tampons and sanitary napkins churned out.

            Mary looked at it.  "Hey!  I might need that next week!"

            Scarlet Witch rolled her eyes.  "Whatever."  She took aim, and fired again.

            Mary managed to dodge this one as well, and ran out of the bathroom.

            Her troubles weren't over, though.  She had only made it about halfway down the hallway when a boy met up with her.  "Hi there hon," He commented quickly.  He had the same blue eyes as Scarlet Witch, but he had white hair and pale skin.  He too was wearing a strange outfit.

            "Yea…Hi…I gotta go!" Mary replied, and she began to make her way down the hall again.

            The boy ran in front of her so fast that he was just a blur.  "Sorry, no can do!"

            Mary rolled her eyes.  "Lemme guess: you're with Scarlet Witch, huh?"

            "Yup."

            "Look, I have to tell you something: I'm not—"

            Suddenly, the boy was hit in the back of the head with something.  Apparently, Scarlet Witch had gotten angry, and was throwing things.  And super-speed doesn't matter if you're not looking.

            _"WANDA!" He screeched.  "I was making my move!  How're we gonna convince her to join us if she doesn't trust us!"_

            Mary wasn't really interested in their fight, so she took this opportunity to start creeping away slowly.

            "SHE'S GETTING AWAY!" Scarlet Witch (or Wanda) roared.

            Abruptly, a teacher popped out her head out of her classroom.  Her eyes swept the almost empty halls, and fell on the three teens.  "What are you three doing?!  Do you have any idea how much noise you're making?!"

            "Uh…" Mary muttered, trying to think of a way to explain what was happening.

            The teacher narrowed her eyes.  "Furthermore, do you have a hall pass?"

            Without warning, a short boy with sallow skin, crimson eyes, and dirty, shoulder length light-brown hair popped up.  "I gottcha hall pass right here, lady!" He replied.  With that, he spat a dark green sludge in her face.

            As the teacher fell backwards and tried to peel the crud off, the boy hopped back, and flashed Mary an beige smile.  "Wazzup?"

            "WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!" Mary yelled.  She sniffed the air, and added, "And what's that smell?!"

            The short boy's smile turned a bit sheepish.  "Sorry…my last shower was a couple of weeks ago."

            Mary cringed.  "Ewww…."

            The white-haired boy grabbed her arm.  "Don't worry honey, all will be explained soon!"  Then he took off, Mary and the others trailing behind.

***

            The professor cringed, as well.

            "What's wrong, Professor?" Asked Jean.

            He turned to her.  "It's the Brotherhood Boys.  They're here, and they've kidnapped Mary!"

            Keri raised her hand.  "Question: how did they find her?  I mean, they don't have Cerebro…"

            "The same way they found Lance, Fred, and Alex," Jean replied.

            Keri blinked.  "…Which is?"

            Rogue blinked.  "Hey, the runt's right.  How _did_ they find them?"

            "I…don't know…" Jean admitted.  "Professor?"

            The professor was about to answer her, but he was interrupted by Mrs. Astronominoff.  "Who are the, 'Brotherhood Boys'?  And what do you mean, kidnapped?!  Is she OK?"

            "Last year, did you watch that live coverage on the Mutant's battle against the Sentinel?" Rogue asked.

            "'Sentinel'?" Asked Mr. Astronominoff.

            "The giant robot." Keri explained.

            "Oh!  Yea, we did." He replied.

            "Well, the people who weren't X-men—" Rogue explained.

            "— The people who had X's on their outfits." Keri commented

            "Were members of the Brotherhood."

            "An organization of evil teenage mutants, junior to the Acoloytes.  The brotherhood is led by a mutant named Magneto, who feels that  regular humans are inferior to mutants, and, therefore, should shut up about the threat that mutants pose to society.  Thus, we are constantly fighting against him, and must always stay one step ahead of him when it comes to new recruits."

            Mrs. Astronominoff rolled her eyes slightly.  "Well, that answers _one of my questions…"_

            "No, I don't think Mary's in danger," The Professor said, answering another question.  "If the boys went through enough trouble to kidnap her, Magneto obviously wants her.  They won't harm her."  He paused, and then added.  "Though, I think a rescue is in order."

            Jean stood up.  "I'll go fire up Cerebro."

            Rogue stood up.  "I'll go rev up the X-Van."

            Keri stood up.  "I'll go get more cookies."

            "NO!"

***

            Mary rolled her gray eyes, and analyzed her situation: _I wake up this morning, thinking I might be a mutant.  Then, between predicting the future and banishing a softball, I'm sure I'm a mutant.  Next thing I know, I get kidnapped by a fast guy, a witch girl, and a guy with hygiene problems.  But wait, there's more: now, I'm driving away in a dirty jeep with those three, as well as  a punk and a fat guy.  Now what?_

            The fast guy turned around and flashed her a smile.  "So, ya comfy, Susan?"

            **_"I'M NOT SUSAN!"_ Mary yelled.**

            The punk, who had brown hair like the small guy except cleaner and darker, nearly rear-ended the car in front of them.  "What?!" He demanded.

            Mary put her head in her hand.  "I'm not Susan," She explained in exasperation.  "I'm Mary."

            The small guy's jaw dropped.  "You mean we kidnapped the wrong twin?!  You gotta be kiddin' me!"

            "You idiots!" Wanda growled.  "I told you we wanted the one without purple hair!"

            "…But…the pigtails…" The fat guy tried weakly.

            Mary pulled them out.  "See?  Now I'm Mary."

            The fast guy blinked, and leaned back in his seat.  "Well, Dad didn't say _not_ to get to get her.  Just to get Susan first…so, I guess if we get her, it'll work out."

            "May I ask _why you all kidnapped me?"_

            "Well…" Began the fast guy.  "See, your sister's a mutant, ya know?  And, my Dad's assembling a team of super-powered mutants.  'Cept, Susan doesn't seem so powerful, so I dunno why he wants her.  As for you, well, we screwed up.  Susan was supposed to take highest priority…but, hey, we'll go get her next, so it'll all work out."

            Mary rolled her eyes.  "Great plan."

            The small guy piped up.  "It was _my idea!"_

            The guy with long hair glared at him.  "No, it was _my_ idea!"

            The fat guy looked confused.  "Wasn't it Pietro's idea?"

            As the boys bickered about whose idea the plan was, Mary turned to Wanda.  "Are they _all_ morons?"

            Wanda glared a her.  "Be quiet!…And yes, they are all morons."

            Mary unfastened her seatbelt, and hopped out of the jeep.  "Ya know, maybe I ought to just get out here."

            Less than a second later, the blue haze had surrounded Wanda's hands.  "Don't even think about it!" She hissed.

            Mary put her hands out in front of herself and was about to say, "Take it easy," When the car suddenly jerked and slid backwards about 10 feet.  She looked at her hands.  "Gotta watch that…" She murmured.  Then, changing her mood completely, she began running away like a scared rabbit.

            She didn't get very far.  When Wanda threw one of her blue hazes at her, and hit dead-on.

            Not good.

***

            The Professor pulled off the Cerebro headgear.  "Mary's mental trail has suddenly gone cold," He announced.

            "What does _that mean?!" Mrs. Astronominoff cried frantically._

            "Don't worry," Jean said soothingly.  "She's probably alright.  I mean, worst case scenario, she's been knocked out."

            Rogue blinked.  "Wouldn't the worst case scenario be if she was de—"

            Keri silenced her by slamming her heel on Rogue's toe.

            "_OOOHH…" Rogue moaned._

            "You're not good at comforting people, are you?!" Keri whispered fiercely.  "No one wants to be told that their daughter might be dead!"

            The Professor tactfully distracted Mary's parents.  "Wait, I have an idea:," He put the headgear back on, and shut his eyes.  About 30 seconds later, he opened them.  "I've gotten a lock on Lance.  The Brotherhood boys are heading back to the school.  They're new target is Susan."

            "Oh, well they can kidnap _her…_" Mr. Astronominoff muttered.

            Rogue nodded, rubbing her toe.  "Yea.  From what ah've heard, that wouldn't be such a bad idea."

            "Rogue, you know we can't turn our backs on anyone," The Professor reminded.

            "Alright, fahne.  What's the plan?" Rogue grumbled.

            "Let's head to the school, and cut them off." Jean suggested.  "We'll apprehend Mary, and then try to get to Susan before they do."

            "Good idea!" Chirped Keri.  "Should we wear our uniforms?"

            "No.  We need to blend in as much as possible," the Professor explained.

            Rogue looked at herself, Jean, and Keri, and mumbled, "Too late for that."

***

            Mary was asleep in the back seat of the jeep when she felt someone shake her awake.  "Ugnnunnn?" She asked.

            The girl, who looked about her age, and had pale skin, blue lipstick, and auburn hair with white bangs, blinked.  "Huh?"

            "Wait…what?" The girl asked.

            Mary tilted her head.  "Pardon?"

            "STOP!" The girl ordered, and Mary fell silent.  "Ah'm Rogue." She explained, and Mary noticed her Southern accent.

            Mary sat up.  "Hi, Rogue," She said casually.  "I guess I fell asleep, huh?  That Wanda person shot me with that blue stuff, and I got really tired…hey, what happened to that gross little guy?  I heard that he was supposed to watch me."

            Rogue smirked.  "Oh, Todd?  I took care of him."

            Mary looked over the back seat, and saw the boy unconscious, sprawled on the ground.

            "Oh…Say, are you one of those X-Men that I saw on TV last year?"

            "Yea, that's me."

            "Ah…So, uh…where are all of the rest?"

            "Oh, them?  Well, only three of us came to Appleton, four of us if ya count the Professor.  The Professor is with yer parents, and the other two, Jean and Keri, are inside trying to go get Susan before the rest of the Loserhood gets to her."

***

            The receptionist, whose name tag read 'Dana', eyed Keri suspiciously.  "You're _who_?"

            "The Local Susan Inspector.  I'm here to inspect the girls named Susan," Keri replied.

            "What are you inspecting them for?" She asked.

            "YOUR RESISTANCE WILL BE NOTED!" Keri snarled.

            Keri probably would've blown everything if Jean hadn't bumped her away.  "Sorry about that," Jean apologized.  "Actually, we're Susan's cousins.  We're here to deliver a message."

            Dana nodded.  "Oh, well, write it down, and I'll have it delivered to her."

            "NO!" Jean said quickly.  However, she caught herself and added, "I mean, I need to tell it to her in person.  Can you tell me which room she's in?"

            "Well, alright…Just a second."  With that, Dana walked into a back room.

            Jean waited for a second, and then turned to Keri.  "'_The Local Susan Inspector_?'" She asked, as if she couldn't believe it.

            Keri shrugged.  "Hey, it worked on an episode of _Invader Zim_."

            Jean rolled her eyes, and was probably about to launch into a lecture about cartoons not being real when the receptionist came back.  "Here you go.  Room A102." She handed Jean a sticky-note that had the number written on it.

            Jean smiled.  "Thank you.  Come on, Keri," She grabbed the eight-year-old's arm, and the two strolled off.

            The receptionist watched them go, and once they turned the corner, scoffed.  "The Local Susan Inspector?  That's a new one!"  She looked around.  "Now, where did Ashley go?" Ashley was another receptionist who should've been at the counter, but appeared to be missing.

            "Oh well…she must've gone to get coffee…good idea…" Dana walked a little ways back, until she made it to the break room.  "Hey, Ashley?  Are you in—"

            She stopped abruptly when she saw Ashley crumpled, unconscious, on the ground.

***

            Lance shut the door angrily.  "Pietro, wouldn't it have just been easier to ask which room Susan was in instead of checking each one?!"

            Pietro shrugged.  "Hey I asked that woman but she wouldn't tell me!  I had no choice but to have Wanda knock her out!"

            "Well, when she asked you why you needed to see her, you probably could've come up with something better than, 'I can't tell you'!" Wanda philosophized crossly.

            "On was on the spot alright?" Pietro said, equally crossly.

            Fred rolled his eyes.  "Well, we've checked 20 classrooms so far.  Maybe she's close."

            10 classrooms later, the Brotherhood Boys were starting to get annoyed.

            "OK, I say one more classroom, and then we just let the X-Geeks get her," Lance proposed.

            "I agree," Said Wanda.

            "Me two," Agreed Fred.

            Pieto rolled his eyes.  "C'mon guys we gotta get her for my Dad!"

            "If your Dad wants her so much, why doesn't _he_ get her?" Lance asked.

            Pietro quickly changed the subject.  "There's no more classrooms on this story, so let's make our way up the stairs."

***

            "No offense, Rogue, but I'm starting to get bored," Mary sighed.

            Rogue leaned back in the seat of the jeep.  "Me, two.  Ah wonder what Keri and Jean are doing right now?"

            "What if they run into the Brotherhood?" Asked Mary.

            "Oh, don't worry.  They can handle themselves…" Rogue murmured.

***

            Jean looked at the paper, and then at the plastic tag outside the door of the classroom.  "Yep, A102." She looked at Keri.  "You, stay out here."

            Keri narrowed her eyes at Jean.  "OK, fine."

            Jean took a deep breath, and walked in to the classroom.

            It seemed to be a Biology class, with about 25 students.  Apparently, the teacher was in the middle of a coffee-fueled sermon, so she paid Jean no mind.

            "Um, excuse me?" Jean asked.

            The teacher paid her no mind and kept talking: "So, the reason that most scientific names are in Latin are because Latin is a dead language, and, therefore, never changes…"  A few students looked up at Jean, but then turned back to their notebooks.

            "Um, Ma'am?" Jean tried a little louder.

            The teacher continued: "…You may notice, though, that many English words have Latin roots.  Since this isn't Language Arts, we won't cover this in debt, but an example that I could use is—"

            Suddenly, Keri popped her head in to the room.  "HEY, CAPTAIN-LATIN!" She yelled.

            All heads turned to Jean and Keri.

            Keri looked at Jean.  "I'm outta here!" She pulled her head out.

            The teacher gave Jean a sour look.  "May I help you?"

            Jean regained her composure.  "Um, yes, I need to talk to Susan DéReal?"

            "And _you are?" Asked the teacher._

            "Uh…"

            Keri suddenly ran inside the classroom and shut the door.  "Jean!  The Otherhood-Bay is Omin-Cay this way!"

            Jean groaned.  "Great!  How many?"

            Keri thought for a minute.  "Well, Rogue knocked out toad before we went in here, so…all of them except him."

            "Excuse me, is this some kind of joke?" The teacher demanded.

            "Um, we _really need to see Susan DéReal!" Jean insisted quickly._

            "Young Lady, you've got a lot of nerve coming here!" The teacher snarled.  "I suggest you tell me what you're doing here _right_ now!"

            _BAM!_

            With a crash, Wanda, Lance, Pietro, and Fred strided in to the classroom.

            Wanda's blue eyes swept the room.  She pointed to the back row.  "See?  I told you she was in here there!"

            The teacher let out a roar of frustration.  "And who are _you_ four?!  I'm trying to teach a class here!"

            "Like we care!" Wanda snapped, and shot a blue haze at the teacher.

            As the teacher froze up inside the haze, there were shouts and gasps from the students: "Hey, she's a mutant!" "I bet they're all mutants!" "Cool!" "Are you kidding?!  Mutants are dangerous!" "Get the freaks outta here!"

            Keri shrugged.  "The Jig is up, I guess." Then, she turned to the class and asked in a regal voice, "Which of you is Susan DéReal?!"

            Almost everyone in the class turned and pointed to Susan…

            …Who was asleep at the moment.

            Keri's jaw dropped.  "How can she be sleeping at a time like this?!" She ran through several desks and students, until she reached the sleeping teen.  "HEY, WAKE UP!" She yelled, shaking her.

            Her eyes fluttered open.  "I wasn't sleeping…" She said drowsily.

            "Yes, you were!  But we don't care at this point!" Keri replied, grabbing her arm.  "Right now, we just need to get you out of here!"

            Susan's lip curled.  "What?!  And don't touch me, you little weirdo!" She shoved Keri hand away.

            Without warning, Peitro zoomed in, grabbed Susan, and ran out the door.  The rest of the Brotherhood followed.

            Keri's arms fell to her sides.  "Ok, _that didn't work.  What now?"_

            "Come on, Keri!  I'll contact Rogue and Mary while we try to catch up!"  With that, she and Keri ran off, hot on the Brotherhood's trail.

***

            After receiving Jean's telepathic message, Rogue and Mary crouched down in hiding in the back seat of the jeep.  Just as they got settled in, Pietro ran out of the school building, and got in the front seat of the car.  He threw Susan in the passenger seat.  "I'll come back for the others later…" He murmured.

            Suddenly, Rogue sprang out, and grabbed his face with her bare hand.  Needless to say, Pietro was put out of commission.

            As Rogue slid her glove back on, Mary grabbed Susan's arm.  "Come on!  We gotta get outta here!"

            Susan, who looked like she was in a state of shock, took one look at Mary and Rogue, and screamed.  "AAAHHH!!  I'M BEING KIDNAPPED!  I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME SOME DAY!  Look, I'm not really that rich!  A lot of my parent's money is in stocks and bonds!  So, you wouldn't get a lot if you held me for ransom!  Just please, lemme go!"

            Mary graoned.  "Oh, puh-leez!  Do really think I'd kidnap you?"

            Susan blinked, then regained her composure and smoothed out one of her pigtails.  "Of course.  The whole kidnapping thing is giving you _way too much credit."  She looked over at the unconscious Pietro.  "Ya know, now that I think about it, he is pretty cute…"_

            Mary blinked, and turned to Rogue.  "Would your professor be really upset if we just let the Brotherhood take her?"

            Rogue sighed.  "Ya know, Ah suggested that very same thing, but he said no.  So, let's get outta here." She linked arms with Mary and Susan, and the two zoomed about 20 yards away from the school, off to the side.

            "Why are we back here?" Susan demanded.

            "'Cause we gotta get outta sight, but I gotta be ready to help Jean and Keri if they need it."

            "I'll help, too, if I'm not getting in the way," Mary volunteered.

            Rogue looked at her.  "By-thah-way; what's yer power?"

            "Oh, well…I think I'm telekinetic, and I think I might be able to see the future," Mary replied.  "Yours is cooler, though."

            "Ah'd trade with you _anyday," Rogue murmured.  Her eyes traveled over to Susan, who was pacing on the muddy ground.  "So, yer twins, huh?  Which one's the evil one?" She joked._

            Susan let out a wail of misery.  "This is the _worst day of my life!  And to make matters worse, a rhinestone just fell of off my sandal!"_

            Mary rolled her eyes, and turned to Rogue.  "Take a big, fat guess."

***

            Back indoors, there had been a brawl in the hall, the likes of which had never been seen before by Appleton High school.

            Jean, Keri, Wanda, Lance, and Fred were duking it out, doing plenty of collateral damage in the process.

            "The Professor is gonna kill us…" Jean murmured.

            "Let's worry about the Brotherhood killing us for now!" Keri reminded shrilly, phasing though a locker that Fred had ripped off the wall and thrown at her.

            After a few more seconds of fighting, Keri had obviously had enough. "That's it!"  She grabbed Jean's arm, and chirped, "Going down!" The two began phasing through the floor, down to the first story.

            "Not so fast, X-Man!" Wanda growled.  She shot a little bit of blue haze at Keri, causing Keri's power to fail.  The two had only made it to up t Keri's knees and Jean's lower shin when they stopped.

            Keri squirmed around a bit.  "I can't move!" She whined.

            "Don't worry!" Jean replied.  She jerked her hands forward, and Wanda flew backwards and crashed in to the wall.  This shook her up quite a bit, and she released the hold she had on Keri's power.  The two slid through the wall without a hitch.  When they landed, they made a beeline to the door, despite stairs and whispers.

            "Now what?!" Asked Keri.

            "We gotta find Rogue, Mary, and Susan…provided that they're all together.  And let's hurry!" She could hear the three Brotherhood members above them, and they didn't sound happy.

***

            "So…Susan?  What's yer power?"  Rogue asked.

            Susan fluffed her hair.  "If you must know, I can copy things."

            "Huh?" Asked Mary.

            Susan rolled her eyes, and picked up a rock from the ground.  "See?  One rock." She cupped it one hand, and covered it with the other.  Then, she concentrated.  When she opened them up, Mary and Rogue were surprised.  "Now there's two rocks.  Yes, I know it's cool," Susan relayed.

            Rogue blinked.  "But if you're twins, shouldn't ya have the same power?"

            Mary shrugged.  "I dunno…maybe whatever makes you a mutant—"

            "—An advanced 'X' Gene—" Rogue inserted.

            "—doesn't form completely at birth, so it can be different.  I dunno, we'll have to ask the Professor."

            Abruptly, Keri and Jean ran up to them.

            "I see…you have…Susan…" Jean panted.

            "Yea…and Ah see yer outta breath," Rogue pointed out.

            Keri narrowed her eyes.  "We've been running for our lives, thank you very much!"

            Susan's eyes fell on Jean.  "Finally!  Someone who's not a total freak!  Well, one out of four isn't that bad…"

            Mary looked behind them.  "Uh, don't count your freaks before they hatch."

            Susan glared at her.  "What's _that supposed to mean?"_

            A nervous expression came to Mary's face.  "It means that the Brotherhood is coming!"

            The five girls turned, and saw Wanda, Fred, and Lance walking striding towards them.

            "End of the line, X-Men!  Hand over the girls, or I'll rock you!" Lance threatened.

            "How about not!" Snapped Mary.

            Lance's eyes rolled back in his head, and he held his arms up.  The ground around them began shake and rumble.  Meanwhile, Fred picked up a nearby tree and heaved it towards them.

            Keri, apparently, wasn't quite herself and was clocked by a few of the long, thick roots, knocking her over.

            Jean ran over.  "Keri!  Are you OK?"

            Keri nodded slowly.  "Oh yea…I'm fine…Say, have your eyes always been purple?" She leaned back, and was out cold.

            Jean shook her a few times, but to no avail.  "Great, Dark Elf's down!" She called.

            Mary shook her head in frustration.  "I'd rather be an X-Man than a Brotherhood boy, but things aren't looking so good.  Gawd, I'm so mad, I could just—" She brought her hand down, and Lance went flying into the wall.  She looked at her hand.  "OK, I have _really got to watch that…"_

            Rogue shrugged.  "Well, it may be your powers ragin' outta control, but it's sure helpin' us."

            Jean's eyes swept over the battlefield.  "Hmm…three against two…I like those odds."

            Fred poked Wanda.  "Hey, Wanda…Maybe it's time to retreat."

            Wanda glared at him.  "My father will be furious!"

            "Yea, well….safety first!  He walked over, picked up Lance, and walked off towards the car.  Wanda shot the X-Men a look of pure hatred, and followed him.

            Mary blinked.  "So…did we win?"  She looked around, and a confused look appeared on her face.  "Hold it…where's Susan?"

            Rogue and Jean looked around, and found that Mary's twin was no where to be found.

            "Aw, man!  Did the Brotherhood get her while we weren't lookin'?!" Rogue moaned.

            "How could they?  Pietro and Todd have been down since before the battle, Lance got knocked out by Mary, and we had our eyes on Wanda and Fred…that's all of them, unless they had one of the Acolytes with them…"

            Keri lifted her head up.  "Well, I think I saw her sneak off around the back of the school, but it could just be my head injury playing tricks on me…"

            Mary rolled her eyes.  "She ran away and let _us fight?  That is _so_ like her!"_

            Rogue shrugged.  "Well, look on the bright side: we won."

            "You are correct Rogue.  You four should be very proud," said a familiar, profound voice.  The four girls turned, and saw Professor Xavier, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Astronominoff, making their way towards them.

            "Mom!  Dad!" Mary called.  She ran up to meet them, and was met with hugs.  She looked at the professor.  "Lemme guess…you're 'the Professor' that I've been hearing so much about."

            The Professor nodded.  "Yes.  And I've heard a great deal about you, Mary.  I came to ask if you would like come to the Xavier Institute for gifted youngsters, so you can learn more about your gifts and how to use them."

            Mary looked at her parents and smiled.  "I'd have to talk to my Mom and Dad, and do some thinking…but I'm leaning towards yes."

            Keri jerked upward.  "And _that's what we like to hear!" She slumped again.  "Ooh…got up too fast."_

            Mrs. Astronominoff looked at the wreckage.  "Um, Mary, why don't I sign you out of school for today?  Everyone can come back to our house."

            Keri stood up.  "Let's eat cookies!" She announced.  She clutched her head.  "On second thought, I'll settle for an ice pack."

            A few minutes later, Mary was signed out (although she had skipped about an hour and a half), and was sitting in the back seat of her parent's car.  She looked out the window and sighed.  "It's been one weird day…" she murmured.

            "Things will quiet down soon," Mary's Mother reminded her gently.

            Mary nodded softly.  "I know…but one thing has been bugging me: what happened to Susan?"

***

            Later that night, at Susan's house, five figures crouched behind the trees in her backyard.

            Eventually, Susan herself walked out through the backdoor, checking over her shoulder that her parents weren't watching.  She strolled over, and her eyes fell on the figures.  "Hey, you came.  I didn't think you would."

            "Oh we're here," Pietro chirped.

            "And we've only been waiting for 10 minutes…" Lance grumbled.

            "It's called, 'being fashionably late'," Susan brushed him off.  "Anyway, I'll cut right to the point.  I like you guy's style.  You don't take it slowly and only attack defensively; you're in charge, and you let people know it.  I bet that you rule your school."

            "Actually…we're expelled," Fred admitted.

            Susan rolled her eyes.  "Whatever…so, why'd you want to kidnap me?"

            "Well you're a mutant and my Dad wants you to join us.  I'm not sure whether you'd be a brotherhood boy (which is what we are) or an Acolyte (the next step up), but he really thinks he can use your power."

            Susan leaned against a tree.  "Hmmm…sounds appealing…"

            "I'm glad you feel that way," Said a sixth and ominous voice.  "You have ambition, something that your sister does not."

            "And _you are?" Susan asked._

            The figure landed, though he was still shrouded in darkness.  "You need only to know me as Magneto."

            "Magneto huh?" She picked up a small rock from the ground, and copied it in her hands until they spilled over.  "Ya know, I dunno how many copies I can make…but I bet it's a lot.  So just call me…Trillion."


	11. New Beginings

Hi, it's me, Neostar1. And again, I've managed to take six months to update. Sorry! --

But the good news is that I've got the next two (maybe three) chapters planned already, so they should take considerably less time to write. Also, I'm on Summer Vacation right now, so I've got a lot more time to work.

Again, if you've got questions, pop me an e-mail at purple-angelcharter.net, and don't forget to review. Oh, and you may notice that instead of my traditional three astericks to symbolize a transition, I've instead got three dashes (---). For some reason, FF.net is "stripping" astericks, meaning that they don't show up. Just thought you outta know...

Oh, and please forgive me for butchering Gambit's accent in Chapter 12.

Chapter Eleven:

New Beginnings

February 3

"YAAAA! WOOH, WOOH!" Keri wailed as she ran around the second story of the institute aimlessly. When she had covered every inch, she ran into her room, and phased through the floor. This took her down to the kitchen, where she continued her dash. Eventually, she made it into the living room.

Rogue looked up from the vase she was dusting. "KERI, SETTLE DOWN!" She yelled. "Mary and her parents are gonna be here any minute, and we wanna make a good impression!"

Keri stood there, marching in place. "Too…much…Kool-Aid®!" She whined.

"Go drink some water! Preferably outta the toilet…there might still be some toxic cleaning-chemicals in it…" Rogue groaned.

Keri began running again. "I don't need to! I don't—"

_WHAM!_

Keri fell backwards as she ran into a wall.

Logan strolled in, and his eyes fell on Keri. "Well, that should be a conversation piece…"

Rogue looked at her, and gritted her teeth. "Gawd, even when she's unconscious she's in the way!"

Logan cocked his head at her. "How come you're so serious about makin' a good impression on Mary?"

Rogue paused, and dropped her arms. "How are we gonna get her parents to let her join the X-Men if the institute is a mess, an' Keri's runnin' around like a wild bafoon?!"

Logan shrugged. "Maybe she likes wild stuff."

Rogue winced slightly. "She does…but her parents don't…See, we've been E-Mailin' each other, and—"

"You've been E-Mailin' here?" Logan interjected.

"Yea. We exchanged E-Mail addresses before Jean, Keri, and Ah left Appleton. We kinda took a shine to each other, Ah guess…Anyway, she told me to make sure that the institute looks nice, 'cause her Mom's a 'serial worrier'."

Logan nodded. "Uh-huh…So, I should put Keri in her room, right?"

"Right." Rogue continued cleaning as Logan picked up Keri and carried her upstairs. She turned and watched him, smiling.

---

10 minutes later, the doorbell rang.

"It's them!" Kitty announced from the top of the stairs.

"Great!" Rogue interjected. She looked at the rag in her hand, and then at Kurt, who was standing near her. She handed it to him. "Do somethin' with this." Then, she ran to the front door and opened it.

Mary stood before them. "Hello, I'm selling cookies! If I sell 20 boxes, I get a free teddy bear!"

Rogue chuckled. "Very funny…Ah don't quite picture you bein' a girl scout."

"Me, either," She replied.

Mr. and Mrs. Astronominoff made their way to the porch. "Hello, Rogue," Greeted Mary's mother. "Is the Professor here?"

"Yes, I'm here," replied Professor Xavier, wheeling towards them. "Rogue, would you take Mary to her room? You two can meet us in the kitchen."

"Sure thang, Professor," replied Rogue. "C'mon, Mary."

Rogue led Mary up the stairs, and through the hallway. "I hope ya don't mind sharin' your room with someone, 'cause that's what's happenin'."

"I don't mind, as long as they don't snore or are slobs," Mary replied.

"Good…And Ah don't think ya need to worry 'bout that stuff, 'cause your roommate's a Princess."

Mary winced. "She's _that_ spoiled?"

"No, Ah'm serious: she's a Princess. Some little country called Nova Roma."

"Ohmigosh! She's seriously a Princess?!"

"Yea. Though don't call her 'you majesty' or somethin' like that. Around here, she's just Amara."

"OK. Gotta remember that," Mary tucked it away mentally.

"Here we are," Rogue announced. She led Mary in to Amara's room, which had half of it cleared out and a second bed. Mary set her stuff on the second bed, and looked around. "Not as big as my room in Appleton, but it'll work." She sat down on her bed and sighed. "I'm a little nervous though. I've lived in Appleton my entire life…wait, scratch that: I lived in Green Bay for three months while I was at the orphanage. So, I've lived in Appleton for as long as I can remember. But my point is that now I'm in a new place, a new school, and I'm a mutant. It's kinda overwhelming."

Rogue sat down next to her. "Ya don't need to worry too much. The X-Men aren't the most liked people at school, but at least we've got each other. And stick with me, ah'll show you the ropes."

"Thanks, Rogue," Mary said gratefully.

There was a pause, and Rogue asked: "Mary, did you have any friends at your old school?"

Mary nodded. "I had a best friend named Jennifer that I've known since fourth grade, but she moved to California at the beginning of December. We've been pen-pals, though it was kinda hard being without her at school."

Rogue looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Ya know, we've got a lot in common: we're both mutants, we're both adopted, we've both got 'interesting' senses of style, and we've both got a family member we can't stand."

"Who do you hate?"

"My adopted mother, Raven, AKA Mystique. She's a mutant who can shape-shift. But she only adopted me because she knew about my power. Plus, she tricked me into thinkin' that the X-Men wanted to hurt me." Rogue's face turned sad. "Ah bet she doen't even care about me."

Wanting to cheer her up, Mary added, "Hey, here's another thing we have in common…" She grabbed a lock of Rogue's white hair. "…We both've got two-tone hair!"

Rogue smiled slightly. "Yea, we do."

The two girls abruptly heard knocking on the door jamb. They looked up, and saw Logan standing there. "Hurry up, the Professor is wondering what's takin' you so long!"

"We'll be there in a minute," Rogue replied.

"Right," He responded, and headed towards the kitchen.

Mary turned to Rogue. "Whoa!" She squeaked. "Who was that?!"

"To you, he's 'off-limits'!" Rogue snapped.

Mary leaned her torso back slightly and held her hands up. "OK, sorry…"

Rogue sighed slightly. "Nah, it's alright…Ah just…Well…"

Mary grinned. "Ooh, crush much?"

Rogue looked embarrassed. "Well, maybe Ah…Ah mean, that is to say…OK, I'll admit it, Ah've got a crush on him!"

Mary pulled her knees up. "Well, I don't know him, but he is cute…though he's a lot older!"

Rogue blushed. "He's got a motorcycle; Ah'm only human!

"Ahh….the motorcycle. That how Dad got Mom. But what is he, 27? 28?"

"More like 80."

"WHAT?!"

"See, his power is that he can heal rapidly, and he almost doesn't age at all. So, that's why he looks so young. Oh, and he also has these three metal claws on each hand that he can eject out of the space between his knuckles. But that's not his mutant power; it was the result of an experiment."

"Are you serious?"

Rogue shrugged. "He has claws, Ah absorb people's memories and abilities, you see the future…what's so hard to believe?"

"I guess I'm gonna have to get used to all of this, huh?"

"Yep. But don't worry, you'll learn to just deal."

Mary stood up. "Well, let's get to the kitchen before the Professor sends someone else to come and look for us."

Rogue nodded. "Yea. Let's go."

The two walked out the door, but soon crossed paths with Kurt, who had apparently stolen Kitty's ponytail holder.

"Come and get it, Kitty!" He teased. He noticed Rogue and Mary. "Hallo. You must be Mary." He stuck out his three-fingered hand.

Even though she was obviously surprised, she shook his hand. "Um, yea, I'm Mary. And you are?"

"Kurt Wagner," He replied. "I'm Rogue's brother."

"…Keepin' in mind that I'm adopted," Rogue added.

"Oh…OH! OK, that explains the lack of family resemblance."

"Yah," Kurt said with a nod.

"Kurt, like, give it back!" Kitty yelled, running towards them.

Kurt grinned. "Buh-Bye!" Then, he _BAMPH_ed away.

Kitty reached them just as the smoke cleared. "Hey…you must…be Mary…" She panted. Then, she paused and took a deep breath. "I'm Kitty Pryde. I'd, like, love to talk some more, but I gotta catch my Boyfriend." She thought for a minute. "Now, if I were Kurt, where would I go?" She snapped her fingers. "Duh! The kitchen!" She phased through the floor, and disappeared.

Mary blinked, and then tucked some of her bangs behind her ear. "OK…furry blue guy: teleports. Brunette valley girl: phases through stuff."

Rogue smiled. "Are we learnin' yet?"

---

About an hour later, Mary bid farewell to her parents as they drove off. "'BYE!" She called. When they were out of sight, Mary dropped her arms in relief. "Whew!" She sighed.

Rogue smiled slightly. "Glad to be rid of them?"

Mary shook her head. "No, it's not that…it's just…my Mom worries a lot, and so does my Dad. It can get kind of annoying, you know?"

"Yea. Irene—she's the woman who raised me—was pretty strict, and made me cover up, 'cause she knew mah power could manifest at any moment."

Mary shrugged.. "Well, it's like I always say: I love my parents dearly, but they drive me insane. Fair enough?"

"Ah guess…"

"Anyway, I got unpacking to do. Wanna help me?"

"Wah not?"

Rogue and Mary padded back to Mary's new room. When Mary flipped open one of her suitcases, the first thing that Rogue noticed was a medium-sized stuffed panda with a red ribbon tied around its neck.

"Spodey-head," Mary explained quickly, blushing.

"'_Spodey_-head?" Rogue giggled.

Mary hunched her shoulders slightly. "I got her when I was three…and, when I wanted to show my Dad, I hit him with it…and the doll's head came off in a shower of cotton. It was as if her head had exploded."

"Oh…OH! 'Spodey', like 'explode'!"

"Yea. My mom fixed it, and the ribbon hides her stitches."

Keri strolled in to the room, holding her head. "Hey, Rogue, what happened? All I remember is a sugar rush and a wall that just _lunged_ out in front of me." She noticed Mary. "Oh, hi, Mary. How long have you been here?"

"'Bout an hour," Mary replied, looking at her watch. "Where have you been?"

"I was viciously attacked by a wall," Keri answered. Suddenly, she saw Spodey-head, and gasped.

Mary blushed angrily. "Oh come on! I can't be the only 16-year-old who sleeps with a stuffed animal!"

"No, that's not it!" Keri said. "Wait right here!" She ran out of the room.

Mary turned to Rogue. "Uh…?"

Rogue shrugged. "That's Keri for you. Just go with it."

A few seconds later, Keri ran back into the room, clutching Teddy. She put him on the bed, so he was close to Spodey-head. At once, Rogue and Mary could see what surprised Keri so much: Except for colors, ribbons, and scars (the one on Spodey-Head's neck, and the visible one on teddy's right wrist) the two bears looked exactly alike.

"Whoa…weird…" Mary murmured.

"Probably the same manufacturer," Rogue brushed it off.

Keri was busy, however. "Teddy, this is…" She looked at Mary for help.

"Spodey-Head," replied Mary.

"Spodey-Head," Keri continued. "Spodey-Head, this is Teddy. I think you two will get along nicely." She paused, while the bears' gazed at each other. She turned to Mary and Rogue, and whispered, "I think they need some alone time. By-the-way, is Spodey-Head a boy or a girl? And if she's a girl, is she single?"

"She's a girl…And yea, she's single. She dated a my friend Jennifer's Black Bear, 'Cookie,' for a while, but they broke up when he and Jennifer moved."

"Good…" Keri smirked slightly. "'Cause Teddy's single, too. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Mary looked at the bears, who, not surprisingly, hadn't moved. "Well, they _would_ make a cute couple…"

"Oh, Brother…" Rogue sighed. Mary was cool…But she wasn't so sure about Spodey-Head.

---

_February 5_

It was Monday. Mary's first day at Bayville High School.

"MARY!" Rogue called. "Hurry up!"

"Just a minute!" Mary replied. There was the thumping of feet against the floor, and Mary dashed in to the foyer. "Ok, I'm ready. How do I look?"

Rogue looked her friend over. Mary was wearing a purple crop t-shirt, an orange-and-magenta plaid pleated skirt, black opaque leggings, and black lace-up boots. Her accessories were gray biker gloves, silver hoop earrings, and a dog collar around her neck.

Rogue nodded approvingly. "Gothic chic. Nice."

Mary nodded. "Yea, well, I had a different outfit planned, but then I found out it was gonna be pretty warm today."

"Uh-huh. Well, what yer doin' it is really bold."

Mary looked at her outfit. "Well, this is who I am. I might as well get that across."

Rogue looked at a nearby clock. "No, ah mean, be late on yer first day."

Mary's gray eyes shot open. "We're gonna be late?!"

Rogue grabbed her hand. "Not if we hitch a ride. C'mon, maybe Jean hasn't left yet." The two scrambled towards the garage, and arrived just in time to see Scott and Kurt about to leave.

"Scott! Can we get a ride?!" Rogue called.

"No problem," Scott replied. "Hop in."

The two made their way in to the car, both hopping over the side instead of opening the door.

Scott gave them an odd look. "New invention, girls: it's called a 'door'."

"Ah'll look into it," Rogue brushed him off. "Now, c'mon!"

Scott put his foot down, and they were off.

---

Ororo watched from the kitchen as Scott's car pull out of the garage, taking with it Scott, Kurt, Rogue, and Mary. "There she goes. I can't help but wonder how Mary will do at that new school."

Logan looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "I wouldn't worry too much. With the way she dresses, I'm sure she's used to bein' antagonized."

Ororo nodded. "I suppose you're right. After all, she is with the other X-Men. Did you notice that she and Rogue have taken a shine to each other?"

"Yea. I'm not surprised. They've gotta lot in common."

Ororo sat down next to him. "Rogue _has_ been acting bit friendlier lately."

"I guess," Logan replied, returning to his paper and tilting his chair back.

"…Which is a break from how she's been acting for about a month…which is about how long Shaina's been living with us…"

Ororo was lost in thought. "And she strongly dislikes Shaina…"

Logan looked at her. "You gotta point?"

She stood up. "I _thought_ I did…" She laughed at herself. "…But it couldn't be…could it?"

Logan put down his paper. "What're you talkin' about?"

She smiled. "Nothing. Well, I have work to do. Good-bye."

Logan leaned back further in his chair. "What were you talkin' about?!" He insisted.

"Nothing!" Ororo called.

Logan leaned back still further, and snapped, "If you're not gonna make sense, then shut uuUUPPPPPPPPP!!!!" He yelled the last word as he toppled over backwards.

---

A few minutes later, they arrived at school. Mary looked around, and was surprised to see that there were still a lot of kids on the front lawn.

Mary cocked her head. "Hey, Rogue, I thought you said we were late."

Rogue thought for a minute. "Oh yea, I forgot that the clock I was looking at was 10 minutes fast."

Mary groaned. "Oh well…I need to get my schedule and my locker, anyway."

"Right. To the office!" Rogue grabbed Mary's arm, and the two headed indoors.

Mary noticed the whispers and stares that other students were giving her, but she really didn't care. She and Rogue went to the front office, and got Mary's locker number and schedule together. They were about to leave, when she was approached by a man who had to be the principle. "Mary Astronominoff?" He asked.

Mary nodded. "That'll be me."

He nodded. "I'm Principal Edward Kelley. I was…warned about your arrival at Bayville High."

Mary didn't really care much for his choice of words, but she stuck her hand out, offering to shake his.

Principal Kelly looked at her hand, but didn't extended his. Instead, he continued: "I would like to tell you something right now to avoid confusion later: while I am a firm believer in the principal that a school Principal should establish a trusting relationship with his or her students, you should know that if I witness or hear of you or any of your mutant friends using their powers on campus, I'll have you out of this school so fast it will make your head spin."

Mary blinked. "OK…"

He gave a false smile. "Well, enjoy your stay at Bayville high. A little less than five months until summer vacation." With that, he departed.

Mary slowly leaned back, so her head was level with Rouge's. "OK, _somebody_ needs to switch to decaf."

Rogue shrugged. "Just try to avoid him."

"Oh, don't worry, I will."

---

Seven hours later, Shaina was at the institute, making a batch of cookies. They were done, and she pulled them out of the oven. She set them on the counter to cool.

Keri wandered in, sat down at the counter, and reached for one.

Shaina slapped her hand away.

Keri wrinkled up her nose, and reached for a cookie again.

Shaina slapped her hand away again.

They did this about three times, when Keri said, "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."

Shaina shrugged. "I was waiting for you to demand why I was slapping you."

Keri rolled her eyes. "I don't _demand_…" Suddenly, she scowled. "Why the heck are you slapping me?!"

Shaina was about to reply, when Scott, Rogue, and Mary tromped in. "Hello! We're home!" Mary chirped.

"Hello," Shaina greeted. "How was your first day, Mary?"

Mary shrugged with one shoulder. "It was pretty good. Principal Kelly gave me a lecture, and some people stared, but I have a few classes with Kitty and lunch with most of the other X-Men, and there's this _really_ cute guy in my geometry and language arts classes. We didn't actually talk, but he kept looking over at me.

Keri raised an eyebrow. "Were you playing the, 'Ignore Game'?"

Mary blinked. "The _what_?"

Keri groaned, as if this were obvious. "You know, the 'Ignore Game'! It's when you stare at someone until they look at you, and then you quickly look away and ignore them. Then, they keep looking at you, and then you look up at them, and they ignore you, and so on and so fourth. James and I kinda got started that way." She sighed happily. "It was so magical!"

Mary gave her an odd look. "Uh, yea…we got a couple of rounds of that in… Anyway, praise the heavens, Scott gave his car a 'jump' after school, and he looked right at me and smiled!"

Keri nodded. "Keep up the ignore game for a while, or at least until you can talk…"

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What do _you_ know 'bout this stuff? You're in third grade!"

Keri gave her a triumphant smile. "Yea, but I'm the one with a boyfriend!" She reached for a cookie.

Shaina slapped her hand again. "What did you not understand about those warning slaps?!"

At that moment, Sailor Chicks trotted into the kitchen, sniffing around and looking eager.

Shaina nodded. "Yes, they're ready." She picked one up, and handed it to Sailor Chicks. The cat picked it up in her mouth, and strolled out, purring.

Keri glared at her. "Oh, so you give the cat one!"

Shaina smiled. "Keri, you wouldn't want to eat these."

Keri's eyes narrowed. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Shaina?"

Shaina smiled. "Well, these cookies have—"

Logan strolled in, sniffing the air. "Is there a reason the kitchen smells like grass?"

Scott sniffed the air, as well. "I thought I smelled something odd."

Shaina nodded. "It's these—"

Logan looked at the tray. "Cookies…" He murmured. He reached for one.

Shaina slapped his hand. "No!" She snapped.

Logan looked at her, then at the cookies. Then, he shot a claw out, snagged one, and picked it up. He tasted it, and made a face. "That's are the weirdest cookies I've eaten…"

Shaina looked amused. "I'm not surprised. They're—"

Logan turned his attention to Mary. "So, Mary, was school bearable?"

Mary shrugged. "Ih…The principal's a butt, though I've got the other X-Men, so it kind of balances out."

"Right." He turned to Scott and Rogue. "You two watch out for her, got it?"

"We will," The two reassured him.

Logan exited, and Shaina burst out laughing.

"What is it?" Mary asked.

Shaina stopped laughing, but was grinning from ear to ear. "What I was trying to tell you guys was that those cookies were for Sailor Chicks…they have _catnip_ in them!"

"Catnip?" Keri asked.

Shaina turned to her, and was surprised to see that Keri had _somehow_ gotten her hands on a cookie, and there was a large bite taken out of it. "Yea, catnip."

Keri looked at her, then at the cookie, walked over to the trash can, and made a huge show of spitting it out and making gagging noises. After about five seconds of this, she changed her tune instantly. "Actually, they're not that bad." She took another bit out of it.

The two goth girls looked at each other. Rogue did the cuckoo sign, and Mary nodded.

---

February 6

The next morning, Mary was picking out her clothes for school when she had a vision:

Mary rounded the corner, and nearly bumped into another girl. She was wearing a white, sleeveless bare-midriff turtleneck, tight black jeans, and sneakers. However, there was no mistaking those black pigtails and gray eyes.

Mary's jaw dropped. "No way…"

Mary's eyes shot open, and were filled with fear. "No…no…"

Amara walked up to her. "Mary, can I borrow your headband?"

Not hearing Amara's question, Mary yelled. **_"NOOOOOO!!!"_**

Amara backed off. "OK, I was just asking."

Mary looked at her. "Wait, what?"

"I asked if I could borrow your headband."

"Oh, sorry. The answer's 'yes,' as long as you don't have lice or anything like that."

At that moment, Ororo rushed into their room. "Is everything alright in here?" She asked.

Mary looked at her. "Not really. I just had an awful vision!"

"What was it?"

"Well, I was at school, and I turned a corner in the hallway. Then, I ran into—"

Jean poked her head in. "Hey, does anyone need the shower? I'm done with it."

Apparently, Mary's vision could wait, as she and Amara climbed over each other to get to the bathroom.

---

At school, Mary was hugging the walls, and was peeking around corners.

Rogue looked at her. "Alright, ah give up. _What_ are you doing?"

Mary turned to her. "See, I had this vision this morning."

"What was it about?"

Mary stood up straight and walked while she talked. "Well, I was here at school, and I turn a corner and…"

Mary rounded the corner, and nearly bumped into another girl. She was wearing a white, sleeveless bare-midriff turtleneck, tight black jeans, and sneakers. However, there was no mistaking those black pigtails and gray eyes.

Mary's jaw dropped. "No way…I was this careful, and it _still_ happened?!"

Susan Déreal rolled her eyes. "Great, you're here, too."

"The Brotherhood boys don't go to school, so why do you?" Rogue asked.

Susan looked at her manicured fingernails. "Simple. _I_ have parents that actually care about me. So, Magneto's buddy, Mastermind, used his influence to make the principals agree to have an exchange student, and select me from the school in Appleton. Hence, I have to go to school. Now, if you'll excuse me, no one at this school knows about my mutant status, and I'd like to keep it that way. And, seeing me with you two might give people the wrong idea."

As she strolled away, Mary sighed. "She was always one to talk about herself."

Rogue nodded. "Ah can tell. So, what're you gonna do?"

Mary sighed. "Just deal with it. That's what I did at my old school."

Trying to cheer her up, Rogue pointed out, "Well, now she's workin' for the bad guys, so you have an excuse to kick her snotty little butt."

Mary thought for a minute. "This is true…Now, I gotta go, before I'm late for class."

As they walked off, they failed to see Mary's "ignore-game" partner, watching the two of them go by, a shy look on his face.


	12. Enter the Mystery

Chapter Twelve:

Enter the Mystery

February 9

Friday evening, Shaina announced at dinner, "They caught the kids who set the stink-bombs."

Keri's jaw dropped, spilling spaghetti back on to her plate. Despite the "eww's" of the other X-Men, she asked, "Really? Who was it?"

Shaina pushed some of her hair back innocently. "I'm not at liberty to reveal that information."

Jamie groaned. "Oh, don't tease us!"

She took a sip of water. "Oh, what the heck, you're gonna find out about it on Monday anyway." She turned to Jamie. "Do you know Andy Santos, Thomas Rockwaller, and Bonnie Williams? They're your age, I think."

Jamie thought for a minute. "Yea…Andy's in my class…He's always distracting everybody, and trying to cheat on tests. He's friends with Thomas, though I've never seen him before."

Keri piped up. "I've seen Bonnie before! She lives near Miki! Once while I was at her house, we got ice cream from the ice cream man, and Miki got the last Push-Pop! So Bonnie came over, and told Miki to give her the push-pop, or there'd be trouble." Keri took a sip of her soda. "But don't worry, she made a full recovery."

Jean's eyes widened. "Bonnie beat Miki up?!"

Keri blinked. "No, Miki beat Bonnie up. Pass the breadsticks."

---

February 10

When morning came, the residents of the institute came to the realization that everyone who had eaten the salad at last night's dinner (Kitty, Beast, Scott, Kurt, and Ororo) had contracted mild food poisoning.

As he watched Scott make a mad-dash to the bathroom, Logan commented, "_That's_ why I don't eat 'rabbit food'."

"No it's not," Keri remarked, as she walked past. "How could you have known that a horrible fate would bestow anyone who had eaten the accursed lettuce? By the way, I have a friend over."

Miki waved. "Hi."

Logan wrinkled his brow slightly. "Hi…Keri, d'ya think it's smart to have a friend over while everyone's sick?"

"It's only four people who are sick, Sammy-Spoil-Sport. Besides, Miki and I have decided it's our sworn duty to cheer people up in their time of need."

"And how're you gonna do that?"

"Music! I sing, and Miki plays guitar!" As Keri spoke, Miki brandished the instrument.

Logan shrugged. "Well, I ain't gonna stop ya."

"Yea! Let's start with Kurt!" The two eight-year-olds scurried off, chattering happily.

---

Meanwhile, Rogue and Mary were sitting on the floor of Rogue's room, playing the card game "Egyptian War" (Or, as Rogue called it, "Egyptian Rat-Race").

"Does this happen a lot?" Mary asked, placing down a seven in the stack.

"Whaddya mean?" Rogue replied. She dropped down a two.

"Outbreaks of food poisoning?" Mary dropped a six.

"No, not really." Rogue dropped down another six.

The two girls halted their conversation abruptly and slapped their hand down on the stack. However, the fact that Rogue's hand was on top of Mary's showed that Mary had been quicker.

"Darn it…" Rogue muttered, as a giggling Mary picked up the 15 or so cards in the stack and placed them at the bottom of her deck.

The two resumed playing, and Mary asked. "Sorry, what were we talking about?" A seven.

"How common outbreaks of food poisonin' are." A four. "This is the first time that something like this has happened."

"Ah…So, how are things going between you and Logan?"

"_WHAT?!_" Rogue yelped, accidentally dropping most of her cards into the stack. "Oops, ah think ah just ruined our game."

"S'alright. I was tired of playing anyway." Mary put her cards into the stack, too. "But how are things going?"

"You sound like we're datin' or somethin'!"

"I was just wondering…by the way, does he even know how you feel about him?"

"…No."

"Why doncha tell him on Valentine's day? It's less than a week away."

"Ah can't tell him!"

"Why not?"

"Because he's an adult, and ah'm just a kid! It's not like we could ever date each other! Besides, if Ah tell him and he doesn't feel the same way (which is probably the case), things'll be really awkward between us!"

"Well, think of it the other way: what if he _does_ like you, and he's just afraid to tell you because he thinks that you'd think that he was a pervert. But, when you tell him how you feel, he'll be so relieved that he'll confess, too! Then, he'll be overcome with passion, and he'll—"

"Mary, Ah've never seen Logan be overcome by anything, except maybe the occasional Magneto or Sabertooth. Oh yea, and did you forget something? Ah can't touch him. How 'passionate' can he be with no skin-to-skin contact?"

"What's up?" Keri asked, strolling into the room, Miki in tow.

Mary turned to her. "We're discussing Rogue's love-life."

"Ooh, may I join in?" Keri grinned.

"NO!" Rogue snapped.

"Yes," Mary replied.

The two children sat down on the floor next to them, forming a small square. "See, I've been telling Rogue to tell Logan how she feels about him for months. I think that maybe she should tell him on Valentine's day."

"Great minds think alike; I said the same thing," Agreed Mary.

Miki piped up. "Keri told me about the whole situation, and you need to tell Logan before he falls in love with Miss Hope!"

Mary turned to her. "By-the-way, who are you?…Oh, wait, lemme guess…aren't you Keri's friend…uh, what was your name? Mickey?"

Miki's eyes narrowed. "Miki. MEE-KEE."

"Miki hates being called Mickey," Keri explained.

"Oh, sorry."

"It's alright."

"Can we get back to discussin' mah problem?!" Rogue snarled.

Mary looked amused. "I thought you didn't want to talk about this."

"It's betten than listenin' to Runt and Runt-Continued. Besides, I guess I'm at the end of mah rope," Rogue explained glumly.

Keri thought hard for about a minute. "Well, I got nothin'. But I'll tell you if I think of something. In the meantime, would you like to hear our song?"

"What song?" Rogue asked suspiciously.

"It was on _The Amanda Show_. It's about people eating at a restaurant. Though for some reason, whenever we sing it to someone who's sick, they tell us to stop and to get out," Miki replied.

Mary shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Great!" Keri chirped. Miki pulled out her guitar, and Keri began sing:

"One time, I ate in a restaurant

The food was disgusting and bad.

The spaghetti had fungus,

The rats were humungus,

And the waitress threw up on my Dad!"

Miki took over at the singing:

"Then my Brother, he

ordered a chicken breast.

It smelled and was starting to rot.

Well meatloaf had worms and the gravy had germs

And it tasted like somebody's snot!"

Keri and Miki sang the next part together:

_"Bring me a bag,_

I am vomiting!

I—"

"STOP!" Rogue yelled. "THAT'S DIGUSTIN'!"

Keri rolled her eyes. "Duh! But did you like it?"

"NO! Now get out!" Rogue pushed the two protesting eight-year-olds out the door, shutting it behind them.

The Rogue and Mary then looked at each other. There was a five second pause, and then the two of them burst out laughing. For Keri's song had been so disgusting and stupid, it was hilarious.

---

A few hours later, the Professor informed the non-poisoned team that there was a mission to be had.

"…It's nothing that serious," he assured them. "But it's come to my attention that the Acoltes have been spotted in an old warehouse."

"Oh, well _that's _original," Shaina muttered sarcastically.

"That's what I thought…until I read that it was a police warehouse…and according to news reports, this is the third one hit this month. I think the break-ins are connected."

"Uh, Professor, if this is the fourth one, wah didn't ya tell us about the other three while they were happenin'?" Rogue asked.

"Because they've been careful. On the other three, they were in and out before we could do anything," He replied.

Logan, who had until just now been watching the same TV show as Keri, piped up, "Well, I guess then we'd better go get 'em while they're there. We're a few men short today, and this'll be Shaina's first actual battle—"

"I fought Sabertooth!" Shaina protested.

"—But I think we'll manage. And Imp, I'd turn off the TV, that show's usin' subliminal messages with advertisin'."

Keri looked at him. "Really? That must be why I keep getting the feeling that I should go buy some _Nirvana _iced tea."

"As soon as possible," The professor answered.

Logan turned to them. "In other words, Suit up."

Keri nodded. "Ok, but before we go, do we have any _Nirvana _iced tea?"

_"KERI!"_

"I was just asking…"

---

The team made it to the warehouse with no trouble. But the presence of four large, metallic spheres in the front of the building signaled that the Acolytes were still there.

"Alright, kids, let's do it," Logan murmured.

They then proceeded to split up and search the building, which proved to be larger than they thought.

"You know," Shaina commented to Logan as they searched for clues along a very long shelf, "I thought this place was completely abandoned, but there's still some stuff in here. Is it possible that they're looking for something?"

Logan looked around. "I s'pose. But what would Magneto want with this crap? The worst thing I've seen in here is an almost-empty bag of marijuana."

Shaina smoothed her hair. "Well, there's got to be a—"

"HI!" Keri yelled, sticking her head through from the other side of the shelf.

"YAAH!" Shaina shrieked.

"Imp, what the heck are ya doin'?" Logan snarled.

Keri scooted the rest of the way through the shelf. "Sorry, I'm not that subtle. But lookit what Rogue and I found!" She held out an older-looking piece of paper. "I have a feeling that it's important!"

Shaina studied it. The front resembled a worn-out map, although the title and the key had faded, leaving them illegible. However, the words on the back looked a bit newer, reading simply:

The flower girl and the boy with the marbles

Logan blinked. "Well, that's about as clear as mud. Who are these kids?"

Keri nodded. "That's what Rogue said."

Shaina blinked. "By-the-way, where is Rogue?"

"Back there, fighting Pyro," Keri replied casually.

"You two got attacked?!" Shaina yelped.

"Yea. So she told me to go bring you the map while she beat that guy up. I tell ya, he's got the most _useless_ mutant power. But now that I think about it, we should probably go help her."

"Lead the way, imp." Logan ordered, and Keri led the group through the shelf.

---

"You know, eventually, you're gonna run outta things to throw at me!" Yelled John Allerdyce, AKA Pyro.

Rogue looked behind herself. "Trust me, that ain't gonna be an issue for quite a while!" She snarled as she heaved another box towards him, hitting him in the shoulder.

This had been Rouge's strategy for quite a while; throwing things at Pyro to keep his flaming 'creatures' away from her. She had already discovered that trying to get close enough to him to steal his power wasn't going to work. So she threw, half-hoping that one of the boxes would contain a fire-proof shield.

Luckily, Keri came running towards her, Logan and Shaina in tow. "Rogue! I brought back-up!" Absentmindedly, she ran through John's fire-making machine.

As that moment, the machine sparked and died.

Keri blinked. "Huh…why didn't I think of that before?"

As John cursed under his breath, Rogue took this opportunity to tackle him, her bare hand exposed. She was in luck; she absorbed his power, and he lay unconscious. "Dunno how this is gonna help me, but he's certainly out."

Keri pumped her arms into the air. "X-Men rule!"

Rogue turned to Logan. "Keri showed you the map we found, right?"

"Yea…you don't know what the words on the back mean, do ya?"

"It looks like some kind of code…maybe this is why the Acolytes are here." Shaina suggested.

"We've got a winner, folks…now give me the map!" Growled a new but familiar voice. The four X-Men turned, and saw Sabertooth strolling towards them imposingly.

"Logan and I haven't found a map," Shaina told him honestly. Keri and Rogue had found it.

Rogue picked up on her game. "Keri and Ah don't have it." Logan had it, not them.

"You're lying!" Sabertooth growled.

"No, we're not," Keri countered. "Everything we just said is true."

"I DON'T CARE WHO FOUND IT OR WHO HAS IT, JUST GIVE IT TO ME!" He roared.

"Why do you want it?" Shaina demanded.

"None of your business…" A sadistic grin spread across his face. "By-the-way, I see you're still up, Hope. Didja miss me?"

Shaina narrowed her eyes. "No. I didn't."

"Oh well…now where were we? Oh yes…" He let out an animal-like roar, and charged at them.

Logan ejected his claws, let out a counter-roar, and charged too. The two collided, and wrestled, neither one gaining any ground. Had everyone not been so engrossed in their own affairs, they would have noticed that John was slowly regaining consciousness. He sat up, looked at the fight, tapped his fire-making machine to get it working, and then aimed a fireball at the scuffling wild-men.

His attack was met with an odd effect: he actually missed Logan and hit Sabertooth, which caused him to lurch forward, pushing his enemy out further. Keri and Shaina (who were probably too close to the action in the first place) were knocked over backwards. This shock caused Keri's phasing ability to activate, and because the four were all connected to each other, they all began to free-fall through the floor.

Rogue, who had been on the other side of the action, watched with shock as the four suddenly disappeared from view. "GUYS!" She yelled.

John looked at his gloves. "Funny…that doesn't happen very often…"

Rogue turned to him, and tackled him once more, stealing his powers and rendering him unconscious. She looked at his body, and unknowingly seconded Keri: "GAW, YOU'VE GOT THE MOST USELESS MUTANT POWER!"

---

It took Keri a few seconds to realize what was happening and to stop phasing. By that time, she, Logan, and Sabertooth were probably on the second basement level. They were all a little dazed when they landed. But Keri sat up first. "Whoa…I do _not_ recommend that."

"Where are we, Imp?" Logan asked, rubbing his head.

"Dunno…probably some basement level…"

Logan looked around, and saw that Sabertooth hadn't quite recovered yet. But something else caught his eye. "Hey, where's Shaina?"

Keri blinked. "Uh…I'm not sure…I know she fell with us…maybe she jerked away from me and stopped at another level?"

Sabertooth sat up, his eyes slightly glazed. He blinked a few times.

Keri turned to Logan. "Ya know I'd probably just be in your way so while you fight him I'm gonna go see if there's a way outta here buh-bye." She said quickly, and sprinted off in a random direction.

"What an imp…" Logan muttered as he saw her disappearing from view. But he also couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Shaina.

Keri had been right; Shaina had in fact jerked away from the other three, leaving her one floor above them. However, she picked a lousy time to stop phasing, and wound up under a pile of boxes.

She blinked her eyes a few times, trying to clear her vision. "Eh…?" She murmured. She attempted to scoot out from underneath the pile, but realized that she was actually _inside_ a couple boxes. She could only move the parts of her body that were exposed, meaning from her sternum up, and only her left arm and hand. Swearing under her breath, she analyzed her options: (A) Sit here and wait to be rescued, (B) Try to break out by herself. If she went with A, she would be granted a safe escape, but there was a good chance that another Acolyte would get to her first and kill her. If she went with B, she would get out, but there was the chance that she stack would collapse. But maybe if she just tried to free herself from the boxes she was inside…

She decided on B. Getting ready to start cracking boxes, she pulled her glove off with her teeth, exposing her bare hand. However, something fluttered out of her glove: The map.

"How the heck…?" She murmured. Wasn't Logan the one with the map? Oh, well, their items probably got jumbled around while they were phasing. She actually wouldn't be surprised if Sabertooth was wearing her earrings.

Unfortunately, as she tried to grab it, her weaker left hand just managed to push it further away. Now, she could only get it if she freed herself.

And she wouldn't get that chance. For at that moment, she was approached by an Acolyte: Remy LeBeau, AKA Gambit.

"Well, whadda we got here?" He said, his accent evident.

"Are you French?" Shaina asked, saying anything to keep him away from the map.

"Cajun. Close enough, ah guess." He took a few steps toward her, and his foot landed on the map. He looked down, and smiled. "Ah say it again: whadda we got here?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with!" Shaina snapped, trying to wedge her hand underneath the pile.

"On da contrary," Remy replied, looking it over, "Ah do believe that this is just what ah've been lookin' for."

Shaina managed to touch a box that was wrapped around her knees. She pressed her fingers to it, and felt the cardboard split. "Why do you want it?" She demanded.

"Can't tell ya that," He said, tucking it into a pocket on his trenchcoat. He suddenly paused. "…At least not here. You really wanna know what's happenin'?"

"Um, yea…" Shaina was wondering what he was getting at.

"Then why don't we discuss it over dinner tomorrow night? Say, 7:00 PM, at _The Silver Dish_?"

_"WHAT?!"_ Shaina sputtered. "Are you asking me out?!"

"Ah guess ah am. Whaddya say?"

"NO! I mean…grr…if I went to dinner with you, would you really tell me what the deal is with the map?"

Remy looked at his fingers. "Perhaps. But what have you got to lose?"

"What makes you think you wanna go out with me?"

"Well, I've had mah eye on you for a while now—"

"Huh?!"

"It's not like ah'm a stalka or anythin', ah'm just doin' what Magneto is tellin' me to do. But ah find ya interestin'. So let's just go on one date. Alright?"

Shaina sighed. "OK…but it's not a date! It's strictly business!"

"Fair enough. See ya then." He turned and began to walk away.

"Hey!" Shaina called. "Considering the fact that I'm going out with you tommorow, could you at least get me out from under here?"

Remy blinked, and grinned. "No. Buh-bye." He continued to walk away, until he disapeared from view comepletely.

Shaina bit back a scream of rage, and managed to wiggle her knees a bit. She stuck her hand to another box, and again felt cardboard splitting. She then sighed: this was going to take forever.

She was in luck: about three minutes later, Jean walked up. She came across Shaina, and blinked. "Shaina, what are you doing?" She asked.

Shaina narrowed her eyes. "Taking a nap. Didn't you know that cardboard boxes make great blankets?"

"Do you need help getting out?" Jean asked.

Shiana sighed again. "Yea, that'd be great."

Jean did a little telekenisis, and Shaina was soon free. However, that didn't stop the three boxes that had formed around her body, causing Shaina to resemble a large, brown snowman.

"Um, I can't help you there," Jean pointed out.

"S'alright," Shaina chirped, and after about a minute of cracking, she was completely free.

"I saw Collasus and Gambit around. I didn't provoke them, though," Jean informed her.

Shaina nodded. "And I've already seen Pyro and Sabertooth…and…uh…" She questioned whether or not she should tell Jean about her 'date' with Remy.

Shiana was saved, as Keri and Logan walked up to them. "Hi, Shaina!" Keri chirped. "We were wondering where you went!"

Shaina sighed. "I've been up here, thank you. By-the-way, where's Sabertooth?"

Keri rolled her eyes, and pointed to Logan. "_Badger_ here lost him!"

"He hit me in the eye with a cardboard box, I can't help that it distracted me!" Logan snarled. "Anway, it's not like you actually helped me! And don't call me Badger!"

Shaina turned to Logan. "Bad news: Gambit got the the map."

Logan blinked. "I thought I had the map."

"You did, but Keri's phasing jumbled everything up. I ended up with it, and Gambit stole it from me. He seemed pretty pleased, so that was probably what they were looking for."

Rogue strolled down and joined them. "So, this is where ya'll haven been hidin'. The Acolytes are leavin', just thoughtcha oughta know. Did we ever figure out what the deal is with the map?"

"No…but I may be on to something," Shaina murmured.

"Really? What?" Logan asked.

Shaina sighed. "Ya know that training session that we were supposed to have tommorwow night?"

"Yea."

"Well, I can't come."

"Why?"

"Because…I have a date."

---

February 11

Shaina sighed, and looked in the mirror at the outfit she had chosen for her 'date': a black sweater that cut straight across her soldiers (as oppose to having a neckline), whine-colored jeans, brown boots, and a 'double belt' that started out on her left hip and sloped downward by a bit as it wound its way around her.

As she tucked some of her hair behind her ear, she decided that her outfit was formal enough for _The Silver Dish_, but it didn't look like she was trying very hard. Oh well, she had made it clear that this wasn't a date.

She checked the clock: 6:45 PM. Time to leave.

However, as soon as she stepped outside the door, she met up with Keri. The eight-year-old grinned. "Shaina! You look positively hot!"

"Uh…thanks," Shaina murmured. "I gotta get going before the Professor catches up to me." Although the Professor had admitted that she should get information from Remy if she could, he had several times expressed his opinion that the whole thing was a bad idea.

"Well, good luck!" Keri smiled, winking at her.

"Yea…" Said Shaina as she strolled down the stairs and headed towards the garage, ready to depart for her 'date'.

---

Meanwhile, Rogue and Mary were in Rogue's room. "Shaina just left," Mary stated.

Rouge, who was painting her nails _Plum Passion_, replied, "Whatever."

Mary looked at her plain nails. "I would think that you would be happy."

Rogue paused. "And wha is that?"

"Because," Mary explained, "If Shaina's busy with Gambit, then you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Logan." She then picked up a bottle of charcoal-colored polish and began painting her nails.

Meanwhile, Rogue looked straight ahead, contemplating what Mary had just said.

---

Shaina waited anxiously in front of _The Silver Dish_. She really didn't know what to expect from her 'date', although she really just wanted to get it over with.

A few minutes later, Remy showed up. He was dressed a little bit more normally for the occasion, but he still wore that brown trenchcoat. In his hand, he held a red rose. "Good evenin'." He chirped, offering her the rose.

"Hi…uh, thanks…" She said awkwardly, accepting the flower.

"Well, shall we?" He asked.

"Sure," Shaina replied.

Apparently, Remy had made reservations, because they were ushered to a table quickly. Still feeling awkward, Shaina stuck her rose in her water glass, and looked at Remy to start the conversation.

"So, how ya been?" He asked.

"Fine." Shaina realized that she had to take control of the situation. "OK, let's get down to business. You know why we're here."

Remy groaned and looked at the ceiling. "Aw, d'we _have_ to talk 'bout this?"

"Yes. I wouldn't be here if we weren't. Now, I wanna know: what's the significance of the map."

"Ah can't tell ya."

Shaina's jaw dropped. "Whaddya mean you can't tell me?!"

"Magneto says ah can't." He seemed to enjoy Shaina irritation.

"You said you'd tell me!"

"Ah said maybe Ah'd tell ya."

Shaina felt like pulling her hair out. "Then what the heck am I doing here?!"

Remy grinned. "Lighten up, _chere._ Why don't we talk about something else and enjoy our date?"

"_We're not on a date!"_ Shaina whispered furiously.

He held his hands out. "We're dressed up, I'm treating you to dinner, I bought you a rose…Ah say we go for it."

"Well, I don't!" Shaina snarled. "I'm not interested in you!"

At that moment, a waiter came by to take their order. Remy ordered a steak, and Shaina ordered grilled chicken with a salad. However, as soon as the waiter left, the two continued their conversation.

Remy looked at the ceiling. "You're so cranky. It's no wonduh you hit it off so well with Wolverine. Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, Logan and I are just friends," Shaina replied, looking down at the tablecloth.

"Well, whah doncha ask me somethin' else? I may be able to answer a different question."

Shaina thought for a second. "Why is Magneto after me?"

"What makes ya think he's afta you?"

Shaina rolled her eyes. "Well, I kinda got that feeling when Sabertooth broke into my apartment, chased me down to the bar, and told Logan that 'his boss wanted me'."

"Things aren't always as they seem, chere."

"Story of my life…But if he's not after me, what was the deal with Sabertooth?"

"There was somethin' else he was supposed to get…when that didn't work, you became a bargainin' chip."

Shaina looked up at the ceiling. "What could I have that Magneto would want?"

Their food came, halting their conversation. Again, once the waiter left, the two started talking.

Remy looked at her, his head cocked slightly. "So, ah know your real name; whatcha code-name?"

Shaina raised an eyebrow. "Ya know, most men would ask me what my sign was."

"Ah'll take both, thanks."

"Taurus, and Splinter."

"Splintuh, huh? Rolls off the tongue, don't it?"

"I guess…"

"…So, ya don't have boyfriend?"

"No…" Shaina narrowed her eyes.

"Hmmm…a good first date means everything…" He thought out loud mischievously.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, WE'RE NOT ON A DATE!" Shaina said loudly, attacking her chicken with her knife.

"Hey, what'd that poor chicken do to you?"

Shaina bared her teeth. "And what'd that poor cow do to you, steak-boy?"

"Ah'm not da one maulin' mah food…with manners like that, you're never gonna get a boyfriend." He took a bite of his steak.

"What makes ya think that I want a boyfriend?"

The rest of their meal went something like that, with them picking on each other and talking about X-Men and Acolyte related issues every so often.

After they finished their meal and were walking out to the parking lot, Shaina sighed. "Well, despite the irritation involved, I guess this was an interesting night…matching wits with you could be fun at times."

"Well, Ah'm always up for a challenge…but you'll do."

Shaina stopped. "You never were gonna tell me anything, were you?"

"Nope," he answered. "But wouldja have gone out with me if Ah didn't lie to you?"

Shaina shrugged. "Dunno…Probably not…and you're not gonna tell me anything now, huh?"

"Nah…just wait and see how things work out, OK?"

Shaina sighed. "Alright. But…thanks for treating me to dinner…It was a nice 'not-date'."

"Oh well, Ah can dream, can't I?" He looked down at her, and for the first time, she noticed something odd about his eyes: not only were the irises a deep red color, but where most people's eyes were white, his were black. The whole thing gave and intense look. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

"I don't suppose I can stop you. Well, good-night…and thanks again," Shaina murmured.

"G'night," He replied, and then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Shaina paused, slightly surprised. Then, she regained her senses. "Uh, I gotta go." With that, she scurried off to her car, and got in. However, she didn't start driving just yet.

_He was never gonna tell me anything, he just wanted me to go out with him,_ She mused. Well, it was a pretty dirty trick, but still…Did he really like her that much?

Shaina looked at her lap, and then realized that she still had his rose. She never really remembered picking it up, but there it was. She pulled it in closer to her face.

You know, it was almost the exact same color as his eyes…

She leaned back in her seat, and looked at the ceiling. "Remy LeBeau…I guess he's not so bad," She thought out loud.

---

When she got back to the institute, Shaina reported back to the others. "I got diddly squat," She announced bitterly.

"You didn't talk at all about the map that they were after?" Asked the Professor.

"No, he said he couldn't tell me. But he did tell me that Sabertooth wasn't after me that night he broke into my apartment."

"Sure seemed like it to me," Logan grumbled.

"Yea…he didn't give me the details, but there was something else he wanted. When it didn't work out, I was just supposed to be a bargaining chip."

"Interesting…" The Professor murmured. "What could Magneto be planning? Anyway, thank you for doing this, Shaina. And if you'll excuse me, I believe that it's getting late, and the students have school tomorrow. Good-night."

"Good-night."

The professor then exited, but almost exclusively with the boys. Most of the girls stayed, eyeing Shaina.

Shaina blinked. "…What?"

Kitty rolled her eyes. "You know what! We want to know how Gambit is on dates!"

Shaina sighed. "You know, he actually admitted that this whole thing was a set-up, just so I'd go out with him."

"What a creep!" Jean input.

Shaina looked at the floor, and her thoughts drifted to the red rose in her bedroom. "Actually…he wasn't so bad…"

At that moment, Mary elbowed Rogue with a grin on her face, but Shaina wasn't quite sure why.

---

Back at the Acolyte's base, a different conversation was taking place.

"She ain't bitin'," Remy commented calmly, shuffling his cards. "You shoulda seen her tonight."

Magneto narrowed his eyes. "Gambit, this _has_ to work."

Remy looked up at him. "How am Ah supposed to convert her when she won't even give me the time of day?"

"All you have to do is gain her trust somehow! Once we have her, the rest of the plan will be easy!"

"What 'plan' do ya keep referin' to? Me and the others only know a little bit about it."

"You know all you need to know."

"Yea, well, you're makin' mah job pretty hard."

"Just figure out a way to sway her. I don't care how, so long as she's not injured."

Magneto exited, leaving Remy alone…but not for long.

Almost instantly, John popped up from behind the couch that Remy was sitting on. "Ya know, for a second, I actually thought you liked that woman."

Remy didn't look at him. "'Guess you thought wrong."

Sabertooth popped up, too. "Why not? I wouldn't mind having her on my arm…"

While John chuckled at Sabertooth's comment, Remy remarked, "Wah are you two such losers?"

"So tell us, Gambit, how was your date?" Sabertooth asked.

"Long and drawn out. Ya happy?" He stood up, and walked out the door.

"Is she wild?" Called John.

"Oh yea, she was _throwin'_ herself at me," Remy replied, and at that moment, he charged up a playing card, and threw it into the room. He waited a few seconds, and was then _immensely_ satisfied with the explosion and yelps that ensued.

He leaned against the doorway and laughed, his deck of cards still in his hand. Absentmindedly, he pulled a card from the top and a card from the bottom. He then looked at them.

The King and Queen of Hearts.

Ah. How fitting.


	13. Lucky 13

Hello, people! Here's the next chapter. And look, it didn't take me six months to update like it usually does.

And I just noticed this, but Strange Triangles has been on up for more than a year! Yeeeea! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed thus far, it's really inspired me. This is my favorite fic that I've written so far…and the longest!

So read, review, and be merry!

Oh, and on a different note, my sister has finally gotten off her lazy butt and posted Keri's own story! Rejoice, Keri fans! It's under Keri Smith: X-Men Extraordinaire by Shimmerstar7. You might want to pay her a visit after you read Strange Triangles, just keep in mind that her writing style is a bit different than mine.

OK, now on with Strange Triangles!

---

Chapter Thirteen:

Lucky 13

_February 13_

The night of the Valentine's day dance, Mary examined herself in the mirror. She then turned to Rogue. "How do I look?" She asked.

Rogue, who was laying on Mary's bed, looked at her. "…Hungry for love."

"Rogue, I'm serious!"

"Oh, calm down; ya look great."

"Really?" Mary went back to looking in the mirror. For the dance, Mary's accessories were a necklace with a small, silver disk on it; silver hoop earrings, white tights, and black shoes. Her dress was a little more fancy: it was black spaghetti-strap, and extended to an inch or two above her knees. However, attached to the waist was a transparent overskirt that was split in the middle, and extended an inch or two _below_ her knees. "Oh, and Rogue?"

"Yea?"

"I'm still really sorry for backing out on you." Originally, the two of them were going to go 'together' and just hang out, but Mary's 'ignore-game' partner (who's real name turned out to be Steve) had managed to muster up the courage to ask Mary out. He had been very nervous at the time but was ecstatic when Mary had accepted. So, Mary had a date, but Rogue did not.

"Don't be. You're lucky that a guy asked you to go with him. Anyway, I'm not goin'."

"Then how come you're all dressed up?"

"I _was_ gonna go, but then ah changed mah mind."

"C'mon, Rogue! There's no shame in being a wall-flower!"

"Ah'm not goin', and that's final!" Rogue snapped. She got off the bed and stormed out.

Keri walked in. "I just passed Rogue, what's her beef?" Keri was dressed for her dance in a full-length, bright magenta dress with a pleated skirt, and matching magenta shoes, bracelets, choker with a heart puffing out, and hair scrunchie. She had also gone that extra step and was wearing lip gloss and a little eye shadow.

"She's the one who's hungry for love…" Mary murmured. She turned to Keri. "You look nice, but aren't you a little young for make-up?"

Keri shook her head "It's just for tonight! And besides, the lip gloss is fruit flavored. Anyway, I came to get you so we could all take a picture. It's for my album."

"Alright, let's go," Mary agreed, and they walked out of the room into the foyer, where all of the dance-goers had gathered.

"Keri, would you like for me to take the picture? That way, you can be in it." Ororo offered.

"Sure!" Keri handed her the camera. Then, she yelled up the stairs, "Rogue, come take a picture with us!"

Rogue called down back to her, "Ah don't wanna be in the picture; I ain't goin' to a dance!"

Keri looked at Mary for help.

Mary shrugged. "She's in a bad mood right now, so just leave her."

"Ok. Everybody bunch together, I wanna get everyone!"

The group bunched together, and Ororo took a couple of pictures of them. Then, the doorbell rang.

Jean answered it. "Hello?"

James stood there, wearing black slacks, black shoes, a black blazer, a white dress-shirt, and a bright red tie. "Is Keri ready to go?" He asked.

Keri pushed Jean out of the way. "Hi, James," She greeted.

"Hi, Keri. You look great…and your lips are so shiny! Did you just eat bacon?" James chirped.

"No, it's lip gloss!"

"Wow…and I thought Paige and Chelsea were the only girls in our grade who wore lip gloss…"

"This is just for tonight. And unlike them, I don't use a golf-ball sized lump; I just give my lips a once-over!"

Outside, a car horn honked.

James looked at Keri. "Miki, Ryan, and Mrs. Matsuura's waiting for us. Shall we go?"

"Alright!" She grabbed James' hand, and the two dashed out to the car.

A few minutes later, Steve showed up. "Is Mary here?" He asked nervously.

"Right here!" Mary replied, rushing up to the door.

Steve looked at her with wide eyes. "You look…" He seemed at a loss for words.

Mary smiled at him. "Thanks…I think…"

"Yea…um…should we go?" He asked.

"Alright…wait, where did my purse go?" Mary looked around, and then spied it hanging off the banister. "How the heck did it get over there? Oh well." She motioned with her hand, and it came sailing over to her. Mary caught it, and slid it over her shoulder. She then turned to Steve, who looked dumbstruck. "Uh…sorry…" She apologized.

"_Cool_!" He breathed. He seemed to have gained just a little confidence. "But…we really should get going."

"Alright. Bye, guys." Mary and Steve walked out the door, though Mary stuck her head back in long enough to whisper, "_Isn't he adorable?"_

---

After everyone had left, Logan was walking around upstairs when he noticed that the door to Kitty and Rogue's room was ajar, and the light was on. He looked in and saw Rogue laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. "Hey, kid," He greeted.

Rogue sat up. "Hai, Logan." She seemed just a bit surprised.

"How come you didn't go to the dance?" He asked, walking in and sitting down next to her.

Rogue shrugged. "Mary had a date, and three's a crowd."

"You coulda gone by yourself."

"Yea, like I'd be the kind of loser who did that."

Logan looked at her, and noticed her outfit: it was similar to the one she had worn to the Sadie Hawkins dance a little while back, with it's orange transparent shirt, and silver tank-top, although the similarity ended there: she was wearing a short red skirt, charcoal tights, red and black boots, a leather belt with a silver buckle, her regular gloves, and a black scarf around her neck. "If you're not goin' to a dance, then how come you're dressed up?"

"Ah thought Ah was goin', and then Ah changed mah mahnd! Wah do people keep askin' me that?!" Rogue snapped.

"Ok, Ok…" Logan said defensively. He paused. "Well, I'd hate for you to be all dressed up with nowhere to go…look, I don't have anything to do either, so, you wanna go do somethin'?"

Rogue's eyes widened. "Ya mean…together?"

"Why not? It's not like we've go anything better to do."

"Well, whaddya wanna do?"

"Dunno…I can't very well take ya drinkin'…So how 'bout ice cream? My treat."

"Sure! Sure!" Rogue replied. "Just gimme a minute!" She hopped off her bed, and made her way towards the bathroom.

Logan sat there. "Well, that made her happy…I wonder why?"

---

"Why do I have to be here?" Shaina grumbled as she watched the elementary school dance-goers stumble around gym.

The lights had dimmed and been tinted colors, giving the room a rather dreamy appearance. Some kids were talking and laughing with each other, some were dancing, and others were pigging out on snacks.

"Hi, Shaina!" Keri greeted as she and James made their way towards her.

Shaina gave her a half-smile. "Hi, Keri. But remember, while we're at school, I'm Miss Hope."

"Oh, sorry. But I wanted to say that I liked your outfit"

"Thanks."

There was a pause, and then, "…Are you Ok?"

"I'm fine," She sighed.

"You don't seem fine," James commented.

"Oh, I'm just not a big fan of Valentine's Day."

"Why?" James asked.

"Because…something bad happened to me on a Valentine's Day."

"Really? What?"

Shaina glared at him.

"I mean…uh…sorry…"

"No, don't be. Somebody close to me died. Let's leave it at that, OK?"

"Bummer…So, do you want to hear our plan?" Keri chirped.

"What plan?" Shaina asked suspiciously.

"Well, this dance is kinda boring, so we thought we'd liven it up." James pulled out a list. "You know: dance fast to slow songs, dance slow to fast songs, go invisible and lock doors and knock things over like a ghost, that sort of thing. Oh, and we're also gonna do, 'The Whack'."

"Do I even want to _know _what 'The Whack' is? Although I bet you got it off of a TV show."

"Right, it's a dance on _Spongebob__ Squarepants_! Do you want to see?"

"Not particularly…"

"OK, we'll come bother you later." Keri grabbed James' hand, and the two hurried off to meet Miki and Ryan (Miki's date). Miki and Keri were wearing almost the exact same outfit, although where Keri's clothes were magenta, Miki's were orchid; her choker was plain, and she only had one bracelet. The four walked away together, chattering amongst themselves.

A few minutes later, Shaina hadn't moved much.

"Punch, Miss Hope?" Asked the familiar voice of Principal Alex Cracken.

Shaina turned, and saw Alex standing next to her. He was, in fact, offering her a paper cup of fruit punch. "Uh, thanks, Principal Cracken." She accepted it, and took a sip.

"Please, we've known each other for almost two years. Call me Alex," he requested, moving a bit closer her.

"Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate? Besides, how many other teachers do you have call you Alex?" Shaina sensed that something was coming, and made sure not to make eye contact with him.

He ignored her question, but instead commented, "You know, you look lovely tonight."

Shaina looked at her outfit: red sleeveless shirt, white skirt, black tights, short brown boots, and a brown strap-bracelet that had white circles running around it. "You really think so? You're the second person who's told me that tonight."

Alex smiled. "I do."

Abruptly, Shaina realized what he was probably building up to, and shut her eyes. _Oh, please, Valentine's Day sucks enough as it is; I really don't need this…_

---

A little bit before that conversation took place, Keri and James were almost the entire length of the gym away from Shaina. "Alright, so, Miki's off with Ryan, and the dance is still crappy," Keri considered. "I suggest that now, we make with the livening up."

"Right. While you figure out what we're going to do, I'm gonna go get some punch. Would you like some?" James asked.

"Sure."

James padded off towards the punchbowl, leaving Keri.

She wasn't alone for long: she was soon accompanied by none other than Paige McBride. "Nice outfit, Smith. Did your dryer throw up?"

Keri looked at Paige's outfit (a soft pink sweater, a full-length white skirt, and sandals) and replied by saying loudly, "GEE, PAIGE, THAT SWEATER DOES A REAL GOOD JOB OF COVERING YOUR CHEST HAIR."

Chelsea Weezer popped up. "Don't be stupid, Smith. Paige had those removed, like, last week." Chelsea was Paige's best friend/sidekick. Her usual markings included short red hair, green eyes, a purse filled with mints, and a vacant expression.

Paige's blue eyes narrowed. "Chelsea, I was getting a makeover last week.."

"Oh…So, they're still there?"

"There never were any chest hairs!" Paige shrieked.

Miki strolled over. "Hi, Keri." She turned to the other two, and her eyes narrowed. "Hello, Paige. Hello, Chelsea."

Paige eyed Miki's outfit. "Wow, for once, you're wearing a dress. I guess that miracles do happen…"

Miki rolled her eyes. "Oh, Paige, you're just bitter because James asked Keri out and not you."

Paige snorted. "As _if_. I'm glad James went with Keri, I got to ask out a different guy I like."

Chelsea looked at Paige oddly as she unwrapped a mint, courtesy of her trademark purse. "Really? You told me that you only asked John out to make James jealous."

_"__Chelsea__!"_ Paige whispered furiously. "Ix-nay on the elling-tay!"

Chelsea stood there, an unmovable pillar of…stupidity. "…What?"

"Never mind!" Paige snapped, and stormed off.

Keri looked at her. "Chelsea, is Paige always this cranky when she doesn't get what she wants?"

Chelsea shrugged. "Hey, I just hold the mints." She then walked after her friend. "Paige, wait up!"

Miki sighed. "Ah, Chelsea Weezer: the girl who proves that it is, in fact, possible to be dumber than a garden hose."

At that moment, James rushed over. "Keri! Miki!" He panted. "You won't believe what I saw over by the snack table."

Keri turned to Miki. "By-the-way, why aren't you with Ryan?"

Miki sighed again. "Oh, he was talking to his friends, so I thought I'd come over here for a while. You know, make him miss me. But what's going on, James?"

"Principal Cracken's flirting with Miss Hope!"

"What?!" Shrieked Miki.

"Ewww!" Keri squealed. "Cracken's, like, twice her age! We gotta do something! James, take us to them!"

James lead them to the spot, where sure enough, Cracken was hitting on Shaina:

"You know, you look lovely tonight," He complimented

Shaina looked at her outfit: red sleeveless shirt, white skirt, black tights, short brown boots, and a brown strap-bracelet that had white circles running around it. "You really think so? You're the second person who's told me that tonight."

Cracken smiled. "I do."

At that moment, Shaina shut her eyes and winced slightly.

"Oh, Gaw!" Miki moaned. "I can't bear to watch!"

"Too bad, 'cause we gotta help her!" Keri announced.

"How?" James asked.

Keri looked around the gym. "I've got a plan…but it will require a little ghost work…"

---

Meanwhile, Shaina was still wincing. She was just waiting for Alex to drop the bomb. However, she still tried to get away.

"HEY, ARE YOU TWO SLOW-DANCING?! THERE'S NO SLOW-DANCING ALLOWED!" Shaina called off in a random direction. "Sorry, Principal…Alex. I gotta go stop those two who are slow-dancing!

Alex cocked his head, and looked off in that direction. "There's no one slow- dancing over there."

Shaina sighed glumly. "So there isn't."

Alex nodded. "Anyway, as I was saying…Shaina, I know I'm a bit older than you, but…I'd really like to get to know you better."

"Uh…." Shaina murmured.

"So, whaddya say?"

"I…" Shaina was torn. If she said yes, she'd be stuck dating a guy who was probably twice her age. If she said no, her boss would be P.O.'ed at her.

However, she didn't have to make a choice. For at that moment, the punchbowl was lifted off the table, and the entire contents were dumped on Alex's head. All by a mysterious, ghost-like force.

"GAH! BLUH!" Alex sputtered, rubbing punch out of his eyes and hair.

Shaina saw her opportunity. "Sorry Alex but I just don't like you that way so let's just be friends OK?" She answered quickly.

"Alright! Sure! Whatever!" Alex replied, heading off to the men's room in a rush to get cleaned up.

After he left, Shaina let out a sigh of relief. With the distraction of the punch, Alex hadn't persisted when she rejected him, or fired her for that matter. At that moment, she heard giggling, and saw a small bulge underneath the tablecloth. Something was holding it up…something invisible…

Shaina smiled. "Alright, you guys, you can come out. I know you're under there."

Keri, Miki, and James, now visible, came out and stood up. "How'd we do, Miss Hope?" Asked Miki.

Shaina sighed in relief again. "Perfect. You three are lifesavers."

"Aw, don't mention it!" Keri said. "You won't believe how great it feels to pour the entire contents of a punchbowl on Principal Cracken's head."

James looked at the empty bowl. "Yea, except now, we don't have any punch."

"That's OK. The dance committee bought a couple gallons of it. Someone'll come fill the bowl up," Shaina brushed him off. "Now, you guys go enjoy the dance!"

The three scurried off, and did just that.

---

Meanwhile, the Bayville High dance was going pretty smoothly. The students were having a good time, with a few surprises: dry ice dropped in the punch bowl, polka music playing over the intercom, and Susan DéReal dragging around none other than Pietro Maximoff.

Mary was hanging out with the other X-Girls by the snack table, when Steve walked up. "Hey, Mary, you wanna dance?"

"Oh, sure," Mary replied, and she allowed Steve to escort her onto the dance floor. As if on cue, a slow song began playing.

Steve's eyes widened. "Oh, this is a slow song…you sure you wanna slow dance with me?"

Mary sighed. "Of course. When I agreed to come here with you, I agreed to partake in slow dancing. Now, c'mon. I don't bite."

The two joined together. Steve, of course, was visibly nervous. "Uh, you look pretty in that corsage." He was referring to the white rose corsage that he had offered her right before they had entered the dance.

"Oh, thanks," Mary replied.

"I mean, it looked nice at the store, but it looks better on you."

"Really?"

"Yea. You should wear it."

"I _am_ wearing it."

"Yea. It looks nice."

She smiled at him. "You don't talk to girls much, do you?"

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Kinda. But I think it's cute."

At that moment, Mary and Steve bumped into another couple. "'Skuse us," Mary murmured.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Hissed a female voice.

Mary turned and groaned. "OK, this is getting monotonous."

Susan DéReal jammed her hands on her hips. She was wearing a low-cut, strapless white minidress with a long, pink ruffled trim, and a faux-onyx necklace. She was also wearing her regular fishnet tights and strappy, rhinestone-studded sandals. "Watch where you're going!"

Mary blinked. "I said, excuse me."

Steve looked from Mary to Susan. "How come you two look alike?"

"We're twins, you clod," Susan snapped. "Honestly…"

"…Aren't identical twins supposed to, you know, act alike?" Steve asked.

"Yes, well, unfortunately, Mary missed out on that. Though I think that almost everyone could stand to act a little more like…" Susan suddenly became aware of Pietro doing hand signals behind her head. "…What's Pietro saying?"

Mary tilted her head. "I think it's something about you having a screw loose…"

Susan jerked her head around. "Why, Pietro wouldn't do something like that. After all, he _does_ know that if I don't have a fabulous evening, I'll broadcast a tape recording of him singing _Call me, Beep Me_ in the shower over the school intercom."

Steve tilted his head. "You don't go to this school, why do you care if someone hears you singing?"

"I may not use this school, but I date its girls! My reputation would be shot!" Pietro whined.

"Shut up and dance with me," Susan ordered.

Pietro turned to her. "You know I would have gone with you if you had just asked!"

"Yea, well, the blackmail is insurance. Now maybe if you're good, I'll make out with you when we get back to the boarding house."

Pietro seemed to cheer up at that prospect. "Let's go dance!" He grabbed Susan's arm and led her away.

Steve watched them go, and then turned to Mary. "She's the evil twin, right?"

"How'd you guess?" Mary replied flatly. "But I guess that's why so many guys like her…"

"But I like you, not her," Steve said softly. "She's so preppy and wild…but you're so calm and unique." He abruptly turned his head away and blushed, obviously embarrassed.

Mary smiled, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Aw, you're so sweet. And I like that about you."

"…So, can we dance?"

"Sure. And after that we can—" Mary was interrupted by a vision:

_ Logan and Rogue walked along the sidewalk, illuminated by moonlight._

_ "So, you got your ice cream. Anything else you wanna do?" __Logan__ asked._

_ Rogue shook her head. "No, Ah'm fine…" There was a pause, and then she added very softly, "…Ah just wanna enjoy bein' with you."_

_Logan__ turned to her. "What?"_

_ Rogue chewed her lip. "Well…uh…"_

_ "Yea?"_

Mary's eyes lit up. "YES!" She cheered, pumping her arms in the air.

Steve looked alarmed. "Is something wrong? Your eyes got all glazed for a while, and then you suddenly snapped out of it."

"Oh, no, it's OK. I was just having a vision, and—"

"A _vision_?"

"Oh, well, yea, I can randomly see bits of the future. It's my second mutant power. And I'm happy, because I just found out that my friend is…well, I can't tell you what she's about to do, but it's good, trust me!"

"I'll…take your word for it…"

"You'd better! Now, are we going to dance, or what?" She flashed him a smile, and pulled him out towards the dance floor.

---

"OUCH!" Rogue yelled as Logan released the tree branch that he had been holding back for her, and it swatted her near her face.

"Whiner," Logan teased gruffly.

They had left the institute about an hour ago, and had just finished their ice cream. Rogue had suggested that they walk in the park while they ate it, because they were getting some strange looks at the ice cream parlor. She wasn't surprised; Logan looked too young to be her Dad, and too old to be her boyfriend.

_Maybe those people thought Ah was a hooker…_Rogue thought to herself. She then burst out laughing. With her mutant power, the very idea of her being a prostitute was ridiculous.

Logan noticed this. "What're you laughin' at, kid?"

"Nothin," Rogue replied, though she was still smiling.

The two exited the park, although neither of them really realized it. "You're strange, ya know that?" Logan commented. "The again, I guess all vampires are."

Rogue threw her arms in the air. "Again with this vampire stuff!"

"Yea, did I ever figure out whether or not you were one?" Logan asked.

"Ah'm not. Ah'm just a sullen little Goth girl who's got the world's crappiest mutant power."

"You're not so bad," Logan said.

"You really think so?"

"Well, you're the only one I've ever taken out for ice cream. That's gotta count for somethin'."

"I guess it does. Hey, did you notice that it was a full moon?"

Logan looked up. "Not quite. It'll be one tomorrow."

So the two walked along the sidewalk, which Rogue now realized was illuminated by moonlight.

"So, you got your ice cream. Anything else you wanna do?" Logan asked.

Rogue shook her head. "No, Ah'm fine…" There was a pause, and then she added very softly, "…Ah just wanna enjoy bein' with you."

Logan turned to her. "What?"

Rogue chewed her lip. "Well…uh…"

"Yea?"

"It's…"

"This is the second time you've done this. What's goin' on here?"

Rogue looked at the ground. "…Nothin'. It's really nothin'. Look, let's just go home. Ah'm tired."

"Ok, kiddo."

And as they turned and made their way back to the institute, Rogue reminded herself over and over again that she was a hopeless idiot.

---

At around 9:00, the high-schoolers started getting home.

Rogue was laying on her bed, imagining what she could have said to Logan, when Mary burst into the room.

"Hai, Mary," Rogue murmured, not looking up.

"Hey, Rogue!" She seemed excited. She looked around. "So, what's next for you two?"

Rogue looked up this time. "Huh?"

At that moment, Kitty walked in, humming to herself.

Marry dashed over to the bed. "Let's continue this conversation elsewhere." She grabbed Rogue's hand, and rushed her out of the room. After some quick thinking, Mary led her into the girl's bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind them. Then, she turned to Rogue. "So, you never answered my question. What's next for you and Logan?"

Rogue blinked. "And you never answered mahn. What're you talkin' about?"

"While I was at the dance, I had a vision that you two were walking along the sidewalk. He asked you if you wanted to do something, and you said you wanted to enjoy being with him, and he said 'huh', and you looked like you were about to tell him that you liked him! So, naturally, I assumed that you did."

Rogue smiled weakly. "Sorry, Mary. Your vision came true, but Ah didn't tell 'em."

"What?! Gaw, that's what's frustrating about these visions!" She stomped her foot on the tile floor. "But why? You had the perfect opportunity!"

Rogue sat down on the toilet (which, luckily, had the lid on it, forming an odd chair). "Ah dunno…Ah just couldn't…Ah was too nervous."

"Rogue, you're never gonna get anywhere if you don't take chances!"

"Ah don't wanna ruin mah friendship with him!"

"Did it ever occur to you that he may like you back, and the fact that he thinks that he'll never have you is causing him to resent you, and thus, is ruining your friendship already?"

Rogue blinked. "…Ah wouldn't tell him even if what you just said made sense."

"Sorry, I'm kinda tired," Mary apologized. "But Rogue, please tell him. You're just torturing yourself by keeping this a secret."

"Right. So, uh, how'd your dance go?"

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Occupied!" Mary said loudly.

"Well, hurry up!" Amara commanded.

Mary turned back to Rogue. "It was kinda weird."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, some people pulled stupid pranks, like putting dry ice in the punch bowl, and playing weird music over the intercom. Oh, but something good did come out of the evening."

Amara knocked again. "I really need to go!" She reminded them.

"Just a 'sec!" Rogue replied. She turned back to Mary. "What happened."

Mary grinned. "Steve asked me to be his girlfriend."

"No way!"

"I'm serious. He asked me right when we were on our way home. Of course, I said yes."

"When're you gonna go on a date?"

"Dunno…soon, hopefully."

Another knock. "Guys, I'm reaching critical condition!"

"We're almost done!" Mary yelled. "Anyway, back to you and Logan. I already suggested telling him on Valentine's day, right?"

"Yea…"

"So…are you gonna do it?"

"Maybe…"

"Rogue!"

"Mary, Logan hasn't asked me out like Steve asked you out. Well, we did go out for ice cream tonight…and he did say he hasn't taken anyone else out…"

"Listen to what you're saying! Even if he doesn't _like_ you, it's obvious that he has an interest in you! Look, I can't make you tell him, but just think about it, OK?"

"Alright."

_Bam, Bam, Bam,_ "Puh-_leeze_ let me in!"

"OK, OK!"


	14. War of the Roses

Chapter Fourteen:

War of the Roses

_February 14_

Valentine's day came so subtlety that Logan didn't really realize that what day it was when he first woke up. However, everything changed when he got downstairs. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except for Shaina, who looked indifferent. Mary appeared to be trying to convince Rogue to do something (although he never found out what because the two hushed when he came near them), and Keri looked quite ill.

Ororo looked at her. "Are you alright?"

Keri shook her head. "I don't feel good, it's hard to breath, and I've got hives. They itch. Like, really badly."

Ororo put her hand on Keri's head. "It sounds like an allergic reaction. Did you eat anything odd?"

Keri blinked. "I don't think so…OH!" She looked at Shaina. "What was in the dance's punch?"

Shaina thought for a second. "Uh…assorted fruit."

Keri narrowed her eyes. "OK, you're going to need to be a little more specific, Hopey."

Shaina blinked. "Hopey? What the heck? Oh well…Um, I think it was apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries—"

"AAAARRGGGG!" Keri wailed.

Shaina jumped. "What is it?"

"I'm _allergic_ to strawberries!"

Shaina blinked again. "Whoops…" She uttered softly.

---

The diagnoses was that Keri had to stay home, due to the fact that her allergic reaction required her to take several different medications at different times of the day.

"Darn it! I don't get to hand out my Valentines!" Keri grumbled as she sat up in bed. Mr. B, who was in her lap, looked up at her pinned his ears back in sympathy.

Logan, who was sitting at the foot of her bed and keeping her company for a while, tilted his head at her. "Really? I've been told that handing out those cheap, cardboard invitations to everyone is a pain in the rear."

Keri shrugged. "Hey, they may be cheap, but a lot of them had candy. And what says, 'Hey, you're swell!' like a bloodstream full of sugar? Besides, I made a special valentine for Paige."

Logan blinked. "I thought you hated Paige."

"I do, with zeal. But the cool thing is that I cleverly disguised a mass-produced valentine. When you first read it, it appears to say, 'You're my best friend!'. But when you actually look at it, you find that it really says, 'You're my best _fiend_!'."

Logan thought for a second. "…You know, that's actually a pretty good idea…"

"Well, thinking of it was easy for me, because I have BUNNY POWER ON MY SIDE!" She then held up Mr. B so he was standing on his hind legs, and made kung-fu noises as she moved around his paws. "Hi-YA! Hoo-CHA! WEEYA!" She added in a heroic voice, "By the power vested in me by the ancient gods and the crazy man who lives down the street, _I will punish you_!" Mr. B looked like he really wished he were somewhere else.

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Put the bunny down, Keri."

Keri looked at him, and then put down Mr. B (much to his relief). "Sorry, it's the allergy medication…OR LACK THEREOF." She aimed the last bit out the door, so someone on the outside could hear her.

Ororo joined them. "I heard you; I'm here." She pulled out a purple bottle, and measured it out a teaspoon of medicine. "Time for the purple syrup."

Keri eyebrows furrowed. "I don't like the purple syrup. It tastes…_bad_."

Ororo raised an eyebrow. "This gets rid of hives. I believe you said a while ago that that's what you wanted."

Keri paused, her eyebrows concentrated. Then, she said, "I changed my mind. I'll take the hives."

Ororo shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Keri looked up. "Really? My Mom _always_ makes me—"

Ororo jammed the spoon into Keri's mouth, and emptied the contents.

Keri suddenly looked as though she had swallowed a lemon. She glared at Ororo. "You…are…_evil_."

"Being evil is essential when dealing with you, Keri," Ororo brushed her off. "I have some work to do, but if you're in trouble, just call me."

Keri nodded. "Ok."

Ororo's eyes widened. "Wait, how could I have forgotten? You need to take the pink syrup now, to help your breathing ease up. I'll be right back."

"BLAAAGGG!!" Keri moaned. "Strawberries are forged from the bowels of the fiery underworld."

"I'll take your word for it," Logan commented. He leaned back a little, and looked at the ceiling.

"Oh, and the pink syrup makes me loopy!" Keri complained.

Logan squinted. "Ya mean, loopier than usual? I didn't think that that was possible."

Keri narrowed her eyes. "Touché, Badger."

"Don't call me that!"

Keri rolled her eyes, and flopped down on the pillow. "Fine, fine. If you're gonna spaz out like that…"

Logan looked at the ceiling again. "So, today's Valentine's Day, huh?"

"All day long," Keri chirped.

Logan was thinking of glaring at her, but he decided not too. "A holiday about love, huh? Whoop-dee-doo," He said sarcastically. "Wasn't Valentine's Day invented by a greeting card company?"

"Maybe. I wish I could invent a Holiday," Keri sighed dreamily. "It would celebrate being weird and creative. And meatballs with gravy. I _love_ meatballs with gravy. But not strawberries! Oh no, not strawberries. In fact, on _my _holiday we'd get bats and hit piñatas filled with strawberries! Only, when the strawberries came out, you'd hit _them_ with your stick. And for every strawberry you smashed, you'd get a piece of candy!" She smiled at the thought. "What do you think of the name, 'Bobunk'?"

Logan looked at her. "Imp, that made absolutely no sense!"

Keri shrugged. "You're right. I'll figure it out later. But now, let's talk about Valentine's day. And why do you hate love so much?"

"'Cause there's no such thing."

"Ah-ha. Perhaps you only think that way because you haven't found love yet."

"Yet, huh? Ya got anyone in mind?"

Keri smiled at him. "Actually, I do." She caught herself. "But I can't tell you. This is something you gotta figure out by yourself."

Logan tilted his head. "What are you talkin' about, Imp?"

"Nothing. But Valentine's Day is all about taking risks, and putting it all on the line in the name of love!" Keri waved her arms in the air as a gesture.

Logan was about to tell her to stop being stupid, but he couldn't help but think about what she had said. Take risks? Put it all on the line?

He heard Ororo's footsteps as she walked towards the room. He turned to her. "Look's like you're gonna take a risk yourself."

Keri sighed. "I wasn't talking about those kinds of risks. Those risks are _bad_, and taste disgusting."

Ororo entered the room, and measured out the medicine. "Ok, time for the pink syrup."

Keri squeezed her mouth shut.

Ororo sighed. "I guess I can't get you to take this one, right?"

Keri smirked. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and—"

Again, Ororo jammed the spoon into Keri's mouth, and emptied the contents.

Keri squinted. "Again I must say: You…are…_evil_."

---

After school, Rogue and Mary were hanging out in Mary's room.

"Come on, Rogue," Mary coaxed.

"Wouldja stop buggin' me?" Rogue requested. "I'll tell Logan how ah feel when ah'm ready."

"You know you want to," Mary countered. "Just go for it."

"Mary, this isn't somethin' ya just 'go for'. Maybe you can do somethin' like this without bein' nervous, but Ah can't."

"You know you want to," Mary repeated. "But I'll just stop bugging you…for now…"

Amara strolled into the room. "Hello, Rogue. Hello, Mary."

"Hai, Amara," Rogue commented without looking up.

"What's up?" Mary asked.

"Not much," Amara replied. She then spied Mary's wrist. "Um, Mary…that's an interesting bracelet."

Mary looked at it. Steve had given it to her that day as a present, and Mary hadn't taken it off since. It was small, with alternating charms of a red rose and a black teardrop. "Oh, you like it?" Mary sounded pleased. "Steve gave it to me."

Amara looked at the walls. "Oh, it's…something…" It was pretty obvious that she hated the bracelet, but was just trying to be nice.

Rogue stood up. "Ah gotta go, Mary…Ah got…stuff to do."

Mary's eyes lit up. "Possibly stuff that includes you-know-who?"

"You said you'd stop buggin' me about that," Rogue replied, not answering the question. She walked out of the room.

Amara turned to Mary. "Who's 'you-know-who'?" She asked.

"M.Y.O.B.," Mary answered, admiring her new bracelet.

---

He had gone into a flower shop.

He had gone into a FLOWER shop.

How could he have gone into a flower shop?

Logan couldn't believe it. He had gone into a FLOWER SHOP. It was as if Keri had suddenly gone goth, or Rogue had become a cheerleader. It was so surreal.

Yet here he stood, three roses in hand: one white (for Rogue), one pink (for Keri), and one red (for Shaina). The guy at the counter had told him that red roses symbolized true love.

So what? The roses were just for friendship. After all, he hadn't gotten any of them Christmas presents. And the colors just seemed obvious: goth Rogue got white, cute and chipper Keri got pink, and Shaina, who wore red so much, got red.

"Who cares what they mean? They're PLANTS for God's sake!" He reassured himself out.

Logan decided to give Keri her rose first. He ventured out into the living room, where Keri had moved to around noon. She was currently writing something down on a piece of paper.

"Keri?" He tried to get her attention.

"SPIES!" Keri yelled, and threw about a dozen papers into the air.

Logan jumped slightly. "Hold in, Imp, it's me."

Keri looked up. "Oh, hi, Logan. She pulled a piece of paper out from under her couch cushion. Logan could now see that the paper had the word "Bobunk" written on it, as well as about a half a page of scribbling.

Logan shook a piece of paper off his shoe. "What was that?"

"Defensive Maneuver A. See, the papers I threw into the air acted as decoys, while I hid the real paper. But seriously, what brings you here?"

"Oh, this is for you," He handed her the pink rose.

"Oh, Logan!" Keri smiled. "You shouldn't have. But I'm glad you did. And it's real great that even though we're exes, we can still be friends."

"Keri, I was never your boyfriend! You just went around tellin' people that I was!" Logan protested.

Keri shrugged. "Well, it's still nice. But I notice that you have two other roses. Are they for anyone special?"

Logan shrugged slightly. "The white one's for Rogue—"

Keri's eyes lit up.

"—And the red one's for Shaina."

Keri smile faded. "Oh…so they're _all_ friendship roses, huh?"

"What else would they be?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, nothing…" Keri replied. "Anyway, go give Rogue her rose. I'm sure she'll like it."

"Aren't ya forgettin' Shaina?"

Keri turned away from him. "Oh, yes, musn't forget Shaina," she said absentmindedly. She then turned back to him. "Do you think that a Bobunk piñata should be raised and lowered as someone tries to hit it, or should it just be stationary?"

"Whatever," Logan muttered, walking out of the room.

"Stationary, of course; 'cause we really wanna get those strawberries smashed…" Keri was talking to herself as she planned her holiday."

---

Meanwhile, Shaina and Beast were in the kitchen, talking…well, actually, Beast was talking, Shaina was drinking a soda and listening.

"…So then Bobby said to me, 'Don't worry, I've got your back.'"

"Wow," Shaina said absentmindedly.

"So I said back to him, 'You don't have my back. You don't have a clue.'"

"Nice," Shaina commented, just as absentmindedly.

Beast gave her a funny look. Then, as a test, he added, "Well, the battle went fine, until Jean exploded."

"That can happen."

Beast narrowed his eyes. "You know, she's filled with candy, like a piñata. So we all went charging out, and Magneto started whining because he didn't get any Pixie Stix®."

"Life is like that sometimes."

Beast threw his arms into the air. "Shaina, you're not listening!"

Shaina looked up at him. "Yes I am!" She protested.

"Then what was I just talking about?"

Shaina was backed into a corner. "Uh…it had something to with a battle, and candy, right?"

"Just admit it!"

"Alright, alright, I wasn't listening."

Beast sat down next to her. "You've been acting weird lately. What's going on?"

"I've just got a lot of things on my mind, that's all," Shaina brushed him off.

Kitty walked in, looking excited. "There you are, Shaina! Look what just came for you in the mail." She held out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "Oh, and there's a card on it." She handed the bouquet over to Shaina.

Shaina took them, and found the card. It was shaped like a playing card, with the pale markings of the Queen of Hearts. It read:

_Splinter,_

_ Even if you never truly become mine, we'll always have _The Silver Dish_._

_ Love,_

_ Gambit_

Kitty read over her shoulder. "Well, ya gotta give him some credit for, like, being persistent."

"The flowers are nice," Shaina said casually.

Kitty frowned. "Alright, what's up? You, like, got a gorgeous bouquet from a totally cute guy, and all you can say is, 'The flower are nice'?"

"Are you sure you're OK?" Asked Beast.

"What are you all, my therapists?!" Shaina snapped. "I don't want to talk about how I feel, alright?!" She stood up and stormed out of the room.

---

Rogue was laying on her bed, listening to a CD through headphones and singing along softly, when Logan poked his head in. "There you are," He commented.

Rogue took off her headphones. "Hai. What's up?"

"I just wanted to give you this." He handed her the white rose.

Rogue was almost too stunned to speak when she took it from him. "Um…thanks…" Her mind was racing._Logan__ gave me a present…what does this mean?_

At that moment, Beast called for Logan from downstairs.

Logan turned to her. "I gotta go. See ya 'round."

As soon as he left, Rogue rushed out of her room and into Mary's. Mary and Amara seemed to be engrossed in a deep conversation:

Amara held up a puzzle book. "Does this look like an umbrella to you?"

Mary glanced at it. "I think it looks more like a tree."

Rogue grabbed Mary's arm. "Ah need to talk to you!"

Mary looked at her. "What is it?"

Without saying a word, Rogue dragged Mary to the bathroom, shut the door, and locked it. "Alright, Logan gave me a rose. Now what?"

"Logan did _WHAT?!_"

"He gave me a white rose! He didn't say anythin' except, 'This is for you,' but still! What do I do?!"

"Why are you asking me this?! I don't know!"

Rogue looked at the wall for a few seconds, and then said softly, "A'm gonna do it."

"What?"

She took a deep breath "Ah'm gonna tell Logan that I like him more than a friend. He obviously cares about me if he bought me a rose…maybe he even feels the same way about me that Ah feel about him…"

Mary pumped her fists into the air. "Yes! But you'd better do it quick, or else you'll chicken out!"

"He's doin' somethin' with Mr. McCoy right now, so I'll give it a few minutes…then I find him and we'll go somewhere private," Rogue planned. She then thought to herself, _Ah'm__ gonna do it! Ah'm finally gonna tell him!_

---

It turns out Beast really didn't need Logan after all, so he then left to go look for Shaina so he could give her the rose. But on the way, as he was passing by the front door, the doorbell rang. He answered it, and found James standing on the front porch. The boy had a small bouquet of flowers in hand.

James looked up at him. "Hi, Mr. Logan. Is Keri here? I asked Miss Hope, and she said that Keri was sick."

"Yea, the Imp's home. Follow me." Logan turned, and led James to the living room.

Keri was flipping channels on TV, but her green eyes lit up when she saw James and Logan strolling into the living room. "Ooh, do I have a visitor…" Suddenly, she looked as though she had just realized something. "…But I'm in my jammies! And I'm not cute-looking!" She glared at Logan. "How could you do this to me, Badger?!"

Logan narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that…"

"Don't worry about it," James said quickly. "I came by to visit my sick girlfriend. It's not like I asked you to the ball."

Keri nodded vigorously. "And that's good, because my glass slippers are at the cleaners. But moving right along, how was the Valentine's Day party?"

James shrugged. "It was Ok. We handed out our Valentines, and we played a few games. The most interesting thing that happened was that Paige mentioned how great it was that since you were gone, things could be quiet and normal for once. So, Miki spilled red punch all over Paige's imported white sweater. Funny stuff!"

Keri sighed. "I wish I had been there…though the thing with the punch and the sweater would have never happened if I had."

James cleared is throat. "These are from the class…" He handed Keri a red, paper bag filled with Valentines, "…And these are from me." Blushing slightly, he handed Keri the bouquet. "It really stinks that you're sick on Valentine's Day…But if it helps, I still think that you're the most beautiful girl I know."

Keri looked up at him. "Really? Even with my hives?"

James nodded. "Yes."

Keri looked at James.

James looked at Keri.

Logan grabbed James, sensing what was about to happen. "Alright, visitin' hours are _over_!" He then dragged him out.

"Bye!" James called.

"Bye!" Keri replied. When James had exited, she wondered out loud, would he have kissed me?" She paused, and then squealed, "EEEWWWWWW!!" She blinked. "What am I doing? I shouldn't be 'eewwing' at the prospect of a kiss! I'm a mature young woman." She caught sight of the clock. "Ack! I'm missing _Power Puff Girls_!"!

---

When Logan found Shaina, she was, like Rogue, laying on her bed in her room and staring at the ceiling (although Shaina wasn't listening to headphones).

"Shaina?" He asked, trying to get her attention.

She turned her head towards him. "Hmm?"

"I brought ya somethin'," He commented, holding out the rose.

She held out her hand, as though she didn't want to get up.

Feeling slightly resentful, he brought the flower to her. He then noticed the bouquet on her dresser. "Looks like someone beat me to this, huh?"

"They're both nice," Shaina said dully.

Logan titled his head. "What's eatin' you?"

Shaina turned her head away. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Blunt as usual, Logan replied, "Because you're actin' weird."

"Well, I'm fine."

"Alright."

"And I don't need to talk about it."

"Ok."

"And I hate Valentine's Day."

"So do a lot of people. I think it was invented by a greeting card company."

Shaina actually looked up at him this time. "Not sure if that's true…though I do know that there was an Anglo-Saxon legend that said that birds choose their mates on February 14." She tilted her head back. "But it seems that the only people who like Valentine's Day are the ones who get sacks and sacks of Valentines."

"That's right."

"You don't need a reason to hate the stupid holiday."

"Some people have reasons."

Shaina looked up at him again. "…You're not gonna leave 'til I tell you why I'm upset, right?"

Logan gave her a smirky-smile. "Of course."

"Alright, fine." Shaina sat up. For the first time, Logan noticed that Shaina's eyes were tinged with red, as if she had been crying. "Look, did I ever tell you about Tucker?"

"No."

"Did the Professor? He saw stuff about him when he was looking in my head."

"Chuck doesn't tell me that kinda stuff."

Shaina turned and spoke towards the wall. "Alright, well, he was a mutant that I met when I was 14, right after I discovered my power. He was a mutant, too: he could make people see things, like mirages. It was our secret. We even gave each other nicknames: I called him 'Morpheus' (the Greek god of dreams), and he called me, 'Splinter'. So we became really close, and we started dating."

Logan nodded as he listened to her story. He had a feeling that this Tucker person was the reason that Shaina hated Valentine's Day.

"But then…." Shaina continued, her voice breaking slightly. "…It was six years ago, today…he was murdered."

"What?"

"It was just a invasion. Tucker was out when the burglar got in, but he came home before the creep left." She sighed. "Burglar panicked, and Tucker ended up getting shot in the head. He died almost instantly." Shaina formed a gun with her thumb and index finger. "Boom. One shot. Tucker's life ended, and in a way, so did mine." She returned her hand to her lap. "I'm over it now…but I just break down every Valentine's Day."

"I'm…sorry…" Logan muttered awkwardly. He didn't comfort people very often. "But I…" He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. For some reason, he didn't feel like pulling his hand away. "…don't think he'd want you to be sad…"

Shaina nodded gently, and turned towards him.

Logan's hand traveled to the side slightly, and he gently wiped a tear from her eye. "There's nothin' wrong with missin' him, but if he really loves you, he wouldn't want you to cry every year."

"I think you're right…" Shaina replied. Then, she did something that surprised Logan: she put her hand on his and squeezed it. "Thanks for listening, I guess…" She commented.

"You don't need to thank me…"

There was a pause, in which they just looked at each other.

They both leaned in.

Their lips met.

It took them a few seconds to realize what they were doing. Though when it happened, it was simultaneous, and they broke away from each other.

Shaina blinked her eyes. "…What just happened?"

Logan looked at her solemnly. "I don't know."

They must have both known what happened, because a few seconds later, it happened again. This time, it was a bit more deliberate.

---

Rogue had finished waiting, and had gone looking for Logan. She had been looking for a while, when she found out from Ororo that Logan was somewhere upstairs. Rogue assumed that she meant his room. However, no such luck.

So then she got the idea of asking Shaina if she had seen him. So, after taking a minute to remember where Shaina's room, she ventured there. The door was hanging partially, so Rogue was about to walk in…when a sight stopped her cold.

Shaina and Logan were sitting on Shaina's bed…kissing.

Rogue jerked back, and leaned against the wall. She was trying hard not to cry…but she wasn't doing too good a job. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Weren't the two of them always telling people that they were just friends? And yet when Rogue had finally decided to make her move on Logan…

_It wasn't fair_.

Eventually, she just gave up thinking about it and left.

---

"Dinner time!"

A call from downstairs stopped Logan and Shaina. They paused. Then, Logan spoke. "We'd better go."

"Hold on…" Shaina said.

Logan changed the subject. "I'm hungry. I wonder what's for dinner?"

"Logan!"

"What?" He turned to her.

"I think we need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk." With that, Logan walked out of the room, leaving Shaina alone.

It was apparent that neither of them quite understood their situation.

---

After avoiding Shaina's eyes all throughout dinner, Logan went to the Danger Room for some training. He really wanted to take his mind off of what had happened between the two of them.

However, at the moment, he was so distracted that he couldn't even remember the password to the Danger Room.

Shaina appeared seemingly out of no where. "Need help?" She asked.

"I forgot the password," He explained gruffly, still not looking at her.

"It's 768-ZG2." Shaina informed him.

He punched in the combination. "Uh…thanks…"

Shaina walked towards him. "I'm good at remembering things…specific things…especially things that happened an hour ago or so."

He knew what she was referring to, but he still didn't want to talk about it. "I'd better go." He turned and was halfway through the doorway when Shaina stopped him.

"Not thinking about isn't going to make it go away."

Logan turned to her. "Whaddya talkin' about?"

Shaina folded her arms across her chest. "You know very well what I'm talking about."

Logan sighed, and leaned against the doorway. "You wanna talk? Fine, I'm listenin'."

"Why did we kiss each other?"

Logan shrugged. "I dunno…"

"Oh, you're a big help!"

"I'm bein' honest. It was probably just our hormones goin' stir-crazy."

Shaina grunted. "And I thought I left that all of that hormonal crap behind when I finished puberty."

"We're friends, but I'm not interested in you beyond that. Alright?"

"Alright," Shaina replied.

"Well, if we're finished with this, then I've got training to do. See ya." With that, he walked into the danger room, and the heavy door slid shut behind him.

Shaina sighed, and thought out loud softly, "But now…I'm starting to doubt myself when it comes to you and me."

---

A little while later, Rogue confronted Shaina.

It happened when Shaina was sitting in the living room, laying on the couch and reading a book. Rogue walked up behind her, and (resisting the urge to rip out locks of Shaina's reddish-brown hair) asked with a slightly fierce tone, "Can Ah talk to you?"

Shaina turned to her. "Sure," She chirped. Shaina got off the couch, and Rogue led her outdoors, where they could be in private. "What is it?" She asked.

Rogue didn't know what to say. She was swirling with emotions, most of which fueled her desire to kill Shaina.

Shaina looked at her, a hint of concern on her face. "Rogue? Are you OK?"

Rogue narrowed her eyes. "No, I'm not OK. See, Ah've got a problem. Maybe you could help?"

Shaina nodded. "I'll do my best."

Rogue narrowed her eyes. "That's great., because, frankly, _you're_ my problem."

Shaina raised her eyebrows. _"What?"_

Rogue leaned in closer to Shaina, and said through gritted teeth: "You…kissed…Logan…"

Shaina jaw dropped. "You…You _know_ about that?!" Suddenly, she looked angry. "Why on Earth were you spying on us?"

"Ah wasn't spyin' on ya; your door was hangin' open! But that's beside the point…which is, 'Back off!'"

Shaina threw her arms into the air. "Look, I know Logan's your friend, but friends don't try to control friend's lives! Why does the concept of him focusing his attention on someone else for once freak you out so much?!" Suddenly, her expression changed, as if she had just come to a realization. "Rogue…you've got a crush on him, don't you?"

"That's none of your business!" Rogue snapped.

"You do!" Shaina exclaimed. "That explains why you got so upset when I kissed him as a joke!"

Rogue wrinkled up her nose, and tried not to blush. "Alright, so maybe Ah do!"

Shaina put her face in her hands for a second. "I don't really know what to do…"

Rogue scowled. "_Ah_ do! If what you said about just bein' his friend is true, then just tell him you were jokin' again, and leave it at that! What's so hard?"

"But…what I don't want to tell him that?"

Rogue's jaw dropped. _"What?!"_

"Look, things have been a little crazy with me lately…but I think I'm starting to like him more than a friend…"

Rogue gritted her teeth once more. "Well, too bad! Ah liked him months before you even met him! In other words, ah saw him first!"

"You may have seen him first, but have you ever acted on your feelings?" Shaina asked.

Rogue fell silent.

Shaina narrowed her eyes. "That's what I thought. And here's something else. Have you and Logan ever kissed each other?"

"That's not fair!" Rogue interjected. "You _know_ Ah can't do that because of my power!"

"You could have wrapped a scarf around your face or something; it's not that hard. Anyway, if we're keeping track, I've got two points, you've got zero. Sorry, Rogue, but you can't expect for me to hang around in the back while you fantasize. And if something's gonna happen with him, you can bet it will be with me."

Rogue was speechless. Finally, her expression became solemn, and she replied, "Well, sorry to you, but Ah'm not gonna give up so easily."

For a while, the two just stood there; glaring at each other. Then, they just left.

Rogue was still seething when she got back inside. She wanted nothing more than to just go into her room and be alone for a while.

However, Mary soon caught up with her. "Hey, Rogue!" She greeted. "Um, I've got some bad news: I talked to Keri, and she said that Logan bought a rose to her, you, and Shaina. I think Shaina's was red, but don't worry, Logan didn't seem to care what the colors were. Speaking of which, how did it go between you two?" She grinned. "Did he take the news well? Does he like you back?"

Rogue turned to her. "NOT NOW, MARY!" Rogue snarled. With that, she stormed into her room, and slammed the door. She then flopped on her bed.

"So, Logan gave Shaina a rose, too? I bet that bouquet she got from Gambit wasn't enough." Rogue fumed out loud. "No, she has to have all of the guys in the world in love with her! Well Ah see through her! She's nothin' but preppy floozy!"

Rogue looked at the rose Logan had given her, which was nestled comfortably in a vase. She didn't blame Logan. She liked him too much. It was all Shaina's fault! Why did she have to ruin _everything_?!

Well, one thing was for sure. Rogue hated Shaina with zeal now. It was war!

Shaina had received a red rose, and Rogue had received a white rose.

And so began the war of the roses.


End file.
